Key Takeaways:
- The Fixed Telecommunications Network Project aims to create job opportunities for citizens in the digital economy while developing their skills.
- The project will enhance Kuwait’s fixed communications network through public-private partnerships and is set to offer 50% of shares to Kuwaiti citizens.
- The initiative supports Kuwait’s digital transformation strategy with a focus on high-speed fiber optic network expansion.
Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communications, Eng. Mishal Al-Zaid, announced that the Fixed Telecommunications Network Project will provide new job opportunities for citizens interested in the digital economy, accompanied by a plan to develop their skills.
In June, the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects announced the qualified companies and alliances eligible to participate in this project, Al-Zaid shared during an interview with KUNA on Monday. He emphasized that the project’s goal is to develop the fixed communications network and foster a partnership between the public and private sectors, covering aspects such as design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance.
The project company will manage the current fixed communications network of the Ministry of Communications while enhancing and extending services to previously uncovered areas. Additionally, Al-Zaid noted that, according to the Public-Private Partnership Projects Authority Law, 50% of the shares in the project company will be available to Kuwaiti citizens once the project is fully operational, highlighting the project’s substantial scale.
He explained that the partnership contract will be established between the ministry and the project company under Law (2014/116) governing public-private sector partnerships and its executive regulations, with the partnership agreement lasting 50 years.
The initiative aims to deliver record network speeds and implement a high-performance fiber optic network across all areas of Kuwait, aligning with the nation’s vision and supporting the execution of Kuwait’s digital transformation strategy.
Al-Zaid reiterated that collaborating with private sector investors will enhance investments in Kuwait’s telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring that at least 65% of the total workforce in the project company comprises national workers.
On October 5, the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications, invited qualified companies and alliances to submit bids for the development of the fixed communications network in the country.
