Increasing Broadband Internet Penetration
In the OIC Member Countries
121
As data in table 59 indicates, web browsing is one of the primary uses of the Internet, although
browsing is more intense when accessing the Internet via a fixed network. This could probably
be explained by the more user-friendly presentation of information in large screen formats
(e.g., PC or tablet) when compared to a smartphone.
Secondly, social networking also represents an important Internet use. A compilation of fixed
and mobile broadband subscriber data indicates that 91% of Saudi Internet users access social
networks. The most important social network accessed is Facebook: half of social network use
is on this site. Beyond Facebook, Saudi Internet users rely on other social networks, such as
Twitter (47%), Instagram (43%), Google+ (30%), Snapchat (23%) and LinkedIn (8%). For
social network members, Internet usage is fairly intense: 61% of social network members
spend more than 2 hours per day connected to those platforms. Facebook membership in
Saudi Arabia is growing in parallel with Internet usage (see figure 35).
Figure 35: Saudi Arabia: Internet users and social network members (2000-2016)
Sources: International Telecommunications Union; Owloo; Telecom Advisory Services analysisA comparison of Facebook membership as a percentage of Internet users across the world
indicates that the Saudi population has a more diverse set of uses and destinations than what
is commonly found in other regions, except for Sub-Saharan Africa (see table 60).
2.21%% 4.68%%6.38%%8.00%%10.23%%12.71%%
19.46%%
30.00%%
36.00%%38.00%%
41.00%%
47.50%%
54.00%%
60.50%%
64.71%%
69.62%%
83.00%%
0.00%%0.49%%0.87%%
9.28%%10.00%%
14.39%%
20.69%%
25.17%%
30.64%%
40.14%%
46.00%%
0.00%%
10.00%%
20.00%%
30.00%%
40.00%%
50.00%%
60.00%%
70.00%%
80.00%%
90.00%%
2000%2001%2002%2003%2004%2005%2006%2007%2008%2009%2010%2011%2012%2013%2014%2015%2016%
Internet% Social%Network%