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The Communications, Space and Technology Commission released its fifth Sustainability Report in the Communications, Space and Technology Sector on August 23, 2026, in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. A CST assessment found that the kingdom secured first place globally in the ITU’s ICT Development Index, an achievement the report attributes to strong performance in universal connectivity and meaningful connectivity pillars that evaluate digital progress across 159 economies. The document, issued under the theme “A Sustainable Present for an Empowered Future,” also spotlights Riyadh’s hosting of the Global Symposium for Regulators under the banner “Regulation for Sustainable Digital Development” and the resulting issuance of the Riyadh Outcomes for Innovative Regulation.
According to the CST report, Saudi Arabia launched a global guide for e-waste policies and regulations to advance circular economy principles while joining the board of the Digital Regulation Network to help shape international digital standards. The commission’s inventory further lists the deployment of an Earth observation platform alongside the Shams satellite as key contributions to environmental monitoring and sustainable development goals. These initiatives form part of a broader framework that the report says integrates digital technologies with space applications to address climate challenges and resource efficiency.
The CST sustainability report documents 14 national success stories spanning environmental, economic and social dimensions, drawing involvement from more than 25 public and private sector entities. Those cases demonstrate deployment of artificial intelligence, space technologies and satellite-based Earth observation to tackle development obstacles, according to the commission’s compilation. CST data places the kingdom’s ICT market at SAR 199 billion by the end of 2025, reflecting an 8 percent compound annual growth rate over five years that positions it as the largest and fastest-growing such market in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Internet penetration and mobile subscriptions both reached 100 percent in the kingdom, CST figures show, while median fixed broadband speeds stood at 151 megabits per second and median mobile internet speeds hit 216 megabits per second. An earlier CST statement on the index placed the digital economy at SAR 495 billion in 2024, equivalent to 15 percent of gross domestic product, with monthly individual data usage exceeding the global average threefold. The commission noted that these metrics underscore sustained leadership support and public-private collaboration that have reinforced the kingdom’s standing in successive ITU evaluations.
World Population Review data drawn from ITU methodology assigned Saudi Arabia a 99.2 score on the 2025 ICT Development Index, ahead of Finland at 98.7, Estonia at 98.5 and several other Gulf states. The index, revived by the ITU in 2022 with an updated framework after a hiatus, tracks connectivity accessibility, affordability and impact across participating countries. CST officials stated that the latest ranking reflects ongoing infrastructure upgrades and regulatory refinements that continue to elevate the sector’s contribution to national economic diversification.
The report additionally outlines future policy directions aimed at aligning digital and space activities more closely with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, according to the commission. Those orientations emphasize expanded use of predictive analytics, environmentally friendly materials and non-terrestrial networks to support long-term resilience. The CST indicated that the collected case studies and regulatory advances serve as a model for balancing technological growth with environmental stewardship across the communications and space domains.
