A new open-access agreement has been signed by six broadband providers in Saudi Arabia.

The deal will enable fibre-optic network sharing between Dawiyat Integrated, Etihad Atheeb (GO Telecom), Integrated Telecom Company (ITC), Mobily, stc and Zain.

The agreement was proposed by the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), with Governor Mohammed Al Tamimi saying: “The adoption of an open-access model will increase the use of our fibre-optic infrastructure through the development of commercial agreements that make it easier for subscribers to move from one provider to another.”

The government expects the arrangement to create three million new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers in the market, who will be able to access services via any of the six providers.