Increasing Broadband Internet Penetration
In the OIC Member Countries
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Let’s now turn to the next variable that could be affecting broadband non-adoption: digital
literacy. The CITC survey cited above provides ample evidence that lack of digital literacy
remains the most important barrier explaining fixed broadband non-adoption. Fifty-three
percent of non-adopters surveyed indicated that the primary reason for not accessing the
Internet through fixed broadband was lack of knowledge of how to use it. In addition, 19 % did
not know what the Internet is, while 8.5 % did not know how to get an Internet connection. All
in all, it would appear that lack of digital literacy explains 81% of non-adoption. Interestingly
enough, when non-adopters were asked whether they were planning to use the Internet within
the next six months, 83% answered “no”.72 In the case of mobile broadband, 18% of
individuals surveyed stated to be non-users. In this case, the primary reason was lack of need
(88%), while 13.55% reported reasons linked to low digital literacy73. Research of Internet
adoption has concluded that lack of need is generally linked to limited awareness, and
ultimately, to low digital literacy (Katz and Berry, 2014).Finally, considering that the country’s capability to produce local content is relatively low, it
would appear that limited availability of applications and content presented in Arabic is likely
a barrier for Internet adoption. Research conducted among professors and students at King
Abdulaziz University (certainly a highly educated demographic) indicates that for 23% of the
people surveyed, the English language remained an obstacle for their Internet usage. A larger
share of these respondents was female, which might indicate that this barrier has a different
impact by genre74. If these findings emerge from research among highly educated subjects, it is
reasonable to assume that the language barrier remains relevant for other segments of the
population.
To sum up, of all three broadband internet adoption barriers typically found in prior research
(Katz and Berry, 2014), limited affordability appears to be not relevant, while low digital
literacy and limited local content development appear to be important in Saudi Arabia and
require the enactment of public policies to address them.
V.2.2. Supply of broadband servicesHaving reviewed the state of demand of broadband and Internet usage, the analysis will now
turn to an assessment of supply. The current availability of broadband service will be assessed
first and then linked it to the state of competition in the industry.
Availability of fixed and mobile broadband infrastructureBroadband infrastructure is available throughout most of the Kingdom. On the fixed
broadband side, ADSL serves 70% of the population, while fiber optics in the last mile covers
38% (1,770,000 households). On the other hand, mobile broadband service coverage has been
72 See p. 30 in Communications and Information Technology Commission. Individuals Report ICT Survey Results, 2015.
73 See p. 47 in Communications and Information Technology Commission. Individuals Report ICT Survey Results, 2015.
74 See table 4 in Alsaleh, I., and Rashad, S. “Measuring Digital Divide in King Abdulaziz University”. Problems of Management
in the 21 Century. Volume 3, 2012