Saudi Homes Connected to Fibre Optic Rise 260% in a Decade

Fibre optic coverage in Saudi Arabia has reached 5.8 million homes by the end of 2025, up from 1.59 million in 2017, marking a 260% increase as part of ongoing digital infrastructure expansion.

Abdullah Al Hariri, advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said rural mobile network coverage has also expanded significantly, rising from 128,000 homes to 755,000 over the same period.

The number of 5G towers has grown from 5,400 to 21,000, supporting faster connectivity and broader access to high-speed internet services.

The fibre expansion forms part of national efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure under Saudi Vision 2030, with a focus on increasing internet speeds and supporting the digital economy.

Authorities are working to enable telecommunications companies to use infrastructure owned by National Water Company to extend fibre connections to an additional 3.5 million homes by 2030.

According to the Communications and Information Technology Commission, the initiative is expected to contribute up to SAR 5 billion to gross domestic product.

A memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 between the Communications Space and Technology Commission and the Water Regulator supports the use of shared infrastructure to reduce rollout costs and minimise disruption from installation works.

Fibre optic networks use glass-based cables to transmit data as pulses of light, enabling faster speeds and lower signal loss compared to traditional copper systems.