KUWAIT CITY, April 27: While the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) set the monthly tariff and rental value for international transit circuits for internet services, it required all licensed telecommunications and internet companies to connect their networks to its internet and communications portal under its privacy protection standards. CITRA confirmed in a decision issued by acting Chairman Sheikh Athbi Jaber Al-Sabah, that through this decision, it can regulate and supervise the telecommunications sector, advance it, protect the interests of users, and ensure that licensed companies take all the necessary technical measures to block materials, websites, programs or other contents proven to have violated the laws of Kuwait, or anything which affects public order and public morals. The newspaper obtained a copy of the decision, stating that “the monthly tariff for transit circuits in Kuwait for a 10G capacity circuit will be rented at KD458 and KD1,832 for a 100G capacity circuit.”

The decision stipulates that if the commitment is for 15 years with one-time payment of the rental value, the 10G capacity will be rented at KD54,111 and KD216,446 for a 100G capacity circuit. On the other hand, Sheikh Athbi Jaber Al-Sabah also issued a decision regarding the tariff for international leased circuits for Internet services through international submarine and land cables and the interconnection tariff (retail sale). He said the rental value tariff will be KD133,848 for additional capacity subscriptions for international leased circuits for Internet services for a capacity of (10G) STM64; if a commitment is made for one year with a one-time payment of the rental value, while for the environmental connection, the capacity and duration will cost KD111,540 and this applies to additional subscriptions, not the existing ones. He revealed the decision states that the additional capacity subscriptions included in the tariff mentioned in this decision may be sold to end users, whether individuals or companies (retail sale). “The decision prohibits selling them to companies licensed as Internet service providers or providers, following the Ministry of Communications’ decision, the CITRA Law, and the regulations and decisions issued in this regard,” he said. The decision regulates the work between the Internet and the communications portal of CITRA and local telecommunications and Internet networks. It requires telecommunications and Internet companies and those licensed to manage, establish or operate a telecommunications network or Internet service to provide communications to the public and information or content providers to connect the network they use to the Internet and the communications portal of CITRA per the privacy protection standards set by the authority.

By Mohammad Al-Enezi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff