Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s digital regulator, the Communications & Information Technology Commission (CITC), has announced that communications and ICT infrastructure in Makkah and Madinah is fully operational and ready for this year’s Haj, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
CITC on Wednesday has ensured the smooth functioning of more than 5,900 towers and more than 11,000 WiFi access points in the two holy cities— Makkah and Madinah.
It has also overseen a 41 per cent increase in 5G towers to reach more than 2,600 5G towers.
“The Kingdom’s infrastructure readiness will not only help smooth the passage of fulfilling a lifelong dream, it will significantly enhance their digital experience,” said Dr. Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Tamimi.
“With worshippers traveling to Saudi Arabia from every part of the planet, we are ensuring that this year’s pilgrims have the most innovative and interactive Haj experience in history,” Gov. Al-Tamimi said.
The moon sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia announced on Wednesday that Thursday, June 29, will be the first day of Islamic month of Zul Hijjah 1443 AH (Anno Hegirae in Latin or “in the year of the Hijra”) -2022, and Eid Al Adha will be on Saturday, July 9.
This year, the Kingdom allowed 850,000 people from all over the world to come to perform the obligatory prayer, in addition to 150,000 people on its lands.
Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. 2020 and 2021 witnessed an exceptional season for Haj, and in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, one million international and domestic pilgrims will perform Haj this year.
Haj 2022 officially begins on the 8th of Zul Hijjah and ends on the 13th day of the same Islamic month. This year it falls between July 7 to 12.
