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3G Phones in Saudi - Immoral Use Will Be Punished
Misuse of 3G Mobiles to Invite PunishmentSaudi Arabia will punish anyone using third generation (3G) mobile phones for purposes deemed immoral, the state telecommunications regulator said yesterday. The warning from the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) came as it officially handed over the Kingdom's first 3G license to mobile phone operator Ettihad Etisalat. 3G mobile phones can access the Internet, which is strictly controlled in Saudi Arabia, and receive high quality video clips from adult sites. "We expect (3G) providers to follow the same rules as Internet providers," said CITC Information Technology General Manager Ahmed Sindi. "The challenge is that this technology is commensurate with our moral values. There will be laws and procedures that govern the use of the technology and people will be punished for its misuse." A ban was recently overturned on the import and sale of mobile camera phones. Fights have been triggered at weddings and girls' schools after camera phones were used to take and distribute pictures of unveiled women, newspapers have reported. Ettihad Etisalat, Saudi Arabia's second mobile phone operator, paid around SR750 million ($200 million) for the 3G license. The firm distanced itself from what material the technology could be used to view. "We will be the facilitator but never a pipeline," said Managing Director Khalid Al-Kaf. Kaf said he expected strong demand for 3G services when they are introduced by 2006. The Kingdom imports around six million mobile phones a year, with 70 percent of consumers regularly changing their mobiles. ... In Saudi, everyone has a mobile. It is probably the equivalent of the American teenager's first car or motorcycle. Coming of age. In Al Khobar's Al Rashid Mall there is a 3-story atrium. The girls go up to the 2nd and 3rd floors and drop folded pieces of paper with their phone numbers to the boys on the ground floor. Since they're all MBOs (Moving Black Objects), it's hard to know how a boy knows which bit of paper he wants to collect. Of course, there are watchers - to warn when the mutawas (Allah's Cops) show up. Now, with video capabilities, things should get very interesting in this uniquely Muslim game... If you'll show me yours... Posted by: .com 2005-01-02 |
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