The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) has published a public consultation on the Spectrum Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use (2024-2027). This initiative aims to enable modern and innovative technologies and foster investment in them, such as Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) through Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communication, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV-BVLOS), Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), and the Internet of Things (IoT). This also includes supporting research on 6G networks, enabling private networks and other technologies, sharing future trends with stakeholders, establishing priorities for spectrum use, and maximizing the economic impact of spectrum use in Saudi Arabia.
CST stated that the updated outlook includes making more than 30 GHz available for commercial and innovative uses, as well as increasing the spectrum capacity allocated to public telecom service providers, to enhance 5G networks and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) by making millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency bands available.
It is important to note that in 2021, CST published its first Spectrum Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use in Saudi Arabia. The previous outlook released the entire 6 GHz band for license-exempt use through a sharing model and supported the deployment of the latest WiFi 6E networks, making Saudi Arabia the first country in Asia, Europe, and Africa to adopt this technology. The previous outlook also contributed to providing frequencies to enable (PMR) networks serving the industrial sector, releasing spectrum for non-terrestrial network technologies via a first of its kind spectrum auction, enabling in-flight internet networks (A2G), and providing frequencies for trials of High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS/HIBS) to enhance communication services in remote areas.
