Saudi Arabia lifts Ban on Social Media Apps

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Skype, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps

Saudi Arabia is lifting a year-long ban on Skype and other services like WhatsApp and Snapchat, effective at 8 PM ET today. According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s telecommunications authority posted on Twitter, any voice and video apps that meet the rules will be allowed. In the context of Saudi’s current economy, the ban lift makes sense. As oil prices plummet, Saudi Arabia is looking to the internet for more sources of revenue.

Leap Ventures partner Hala Fadel wrote last year that it was a prime time for Middle East nations to start investing in digital startups: “With 70% of the population under age 30, the Arabs are a hyper social and hyper digital population.” Saudi Arabia’s information ministry seems to agree with Fadel, saying that a digital transformation will boost the nation’s economy.

As Skype, WhatsApp, and others become accessible to Saudis again, the country’s three domestic telecoms operators — Saudi Telecom Co, Etihad Etisalat, and Zain Saudi — will face more competition and lose their current oligopoly.