Riyadh – Mubasher: Internet users in Saudi Arabia are expected to reach 30 million by 2022, according to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast.
The index predicts that around 4.8 billion internet users will be connected globally by 2022, out of which 549 million will be living in the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
The number of Saudi users will increase to approximately 82.6% of the kingdom’s population, compared to only 24 million in 2017, the international networking gear maker said.
By 2022, the entire MEA region will have approximately 549 million internet users and accounted for the highest growth rate in IP traffic, with a 41% hike over 2017.
“It is undeniable that the Internet is growing at an exponential rate. As the government continues to invest in infrastructure and champion a thriving economy and vibrant society through Vision 2030, a faster and stronger Internet opens the doors to unprecedented opportunities for individuals and industry alike,” Salma Faqeeh, managing director at Cisco Saudi Arabia, commented.
Cisco, the worldwide technology leader that has been making the internet work since 1984, noted that there will be approximately 2.5 billion devices connected to the network in MEA, equating to 5.4 networked devices per capita in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom will have more than 83.3 million devices and connections by the end of 2022, according to the report.
“Cisco predicts the speeds will increase more than three-fold, from 2017 to 2022. Accordingly, it is expected that broadband speeds in Saudi Arabia will increase from 12.2Mbps in 2017 to 41.2Mbps by 2022 – enabling businesses and individuals to operate with greater speed and efficiency,” the report highlighted.
Accordingly, large downloads will go from taking hours to a matter of minutes and seconds.
The average of internet users across Saudi Arabia will generate 40% gigabytes of internet traffic per month, up 68% from 2017.
“Digitisation is a critical force for economic growth, so businesses must adopt a mindset that is proactive, rather than reactive. DDoS attacks can represent up to 25% of a country’s total Internet traffic while they are occurring,” Faqeeh added.
