Information Technology Essay -- Telecommunication

Background Chapter Developments in computer and information technologies have created spaces wherein peoples across the world regardless of time and physical place can interact anytime and anywhere, thus, reshaping human interaction in the contemporary period (Whitworth, Banuls, Sylla & Mahinda , 2008). Recognising the integral significance of the development, it has been observed that in the last two decades, almost fifty percent of new capital investments of organisations are invested in information technology (Westland & Clark, 2000) and, as such, the computer and information technology is deemed as critical in the survival of businesses in the global market economy (Whitworth et al., 2008). In the same manner, keeping up with developments in information technology is also the concern of countries around the globe, not only because it is the platform that defines the contemporary the condition of the global society, but also because it is a competitive advantage that drives economic growth and development in the country (Dunning, 1992). In this regard, even the oil rich country, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), has encouraged telecommunications investments as part of the diversification economic program of the country (CIA Fact Book, 2011). In fact, due to continued expansion of domestic economy and increase in population, the telecommunication sector of Saudi Arabia has pegged the interests of both the foreign investors and local capitalists (World Report on Investments, 2010). The Telecommunications Industry Among the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), Saudi Arabia has the largest telecommunication market (Al-Shaikh, Malick & Chahine, 2009). The growth of Saudi Arabia’s telecommunication industry is attributed to the ... ...13 billion. Mobily launched its services in May 2005, ending the year with 2.3 million subscribers, constituting 16% of the Saudi mobile market. By the end of 2008, we estimate that the company reached a 38% mar ¬ket share, with 13.02 million active subscribers. The company was the first to introduce Blackberry services and the iPhone in Saudi Arabia. It was also the first mobile Saudi operator to introduce value-added services such as MMS(picture messaging), location-based services (LBS), international roaming for prepaid subscribers, GPRS/GPRSEDGEroaming, and other services (Que et al., 2009). Mobily was the first Saudi wireless operator to launch in-flight calls abroad, through Aero Mobile, a specialized aviation mobile operator. It also initiated the first video mail service in KSA and pioneered the launch of 3.5G services in KSAin June 2006 (Que et al., 2009).