Saudi Arabia Unveils Global Roadmap to Close Digital Gap at GSR-25 Summit
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia launched the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-25) at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre, bringing together representatives of over 190 nations to address the digital divide that still plagues 2.6 billion people worldwide.
The conference, jointly hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia, will close on Sept. 3 and offer a charter to international digital inclusion in the era of artificial intelligence.
The event hosting, CST Governor and GSR-25 Chair Haitham Al-Ohaly emphasized the importance of joint action. “We have a golden moment today to define the future of humanity for the next 160 years,” he declared, introducing a new collaborative roadmap with the ITU to offer affordable, AI-powered connectivity solutions.
Al-Ohaly identified the scale of the work, citing a Saudi-ITU study placing at $1.7 trillion the cost of global connectivity infrastructure — three times earlier estimates — and that closing the digital divide would cost up to $2.8 trillion when skills building, accessibility, and regulatory environments are also taken into consideration.
In the margins, Saudi Minister for Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha also met with ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin to discuss cooperation in digital economy growth, talent development, entrepreneurship, and green digital initiatives.
The event also features a set of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 digital leadership exhibitions and policy workshops dedicated to improving an integrated global inclusion model.
As it seeks to establish itself as a global digital pioneer, Saudi Arabia was recently voted onto the UN’s ITU digital regulation network board. As internet penetration in the Kingdom reached 99 percent in 2024, the country is positioning itself at the forefront of shaping digital futures.
The symposium will conclude with a resolution establishing new regulatory benchmarks for the post-digital era, as outlined at the summit.
verified from sources:arabnews