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The government of Saudi Arabia has decided to lift a ban on internet calls imposed by the Saudi government in 2013. An official issued a statement and tweet that those services and service providers will be allowed to operate that follow the rules set by the CITC (Communications and Information Technology Commission) of the country. The statement of the CITC spokesman indicates that Saudi government has decided to lift the ban and make a way for more business over the internet. The statement also said that this decision comes in line with the current trends in the ICT sector. The dependence on data revenues or internet delivery with added services has been considered the global trend and the operators should take in the Saudi Kingdom.

The statement further indicated that the concerning authority is still working with all stakeholders in providing the finest and efficient services to entire telecom subscribers in the Saudi Kingdom that meet their specific needs of satisfaction and aspirations. The government of Saudi Arabia actually imposed the ban in 2013 out of the wariness for services such as Skype, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. These services have more secure communications protocols, so these are more difficult to be monitored. Now, lifting the ban would make it easier for businesses and people to operate, but it would more likely end up cutting into profits of 3 telecoms in the country, including Saudi Telecom Co, Zain and Mobily. These were the only source for international phone and data calls during the ban period.