Article 16 of the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Law
المادة 16 من نظام الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات · الفصل الثالث: الطيف الترددي
The article prohibits service providers from entering any interconnection or access agreement that endangers any person or property or harms other networks or services.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يُمنع مقدمو الخدمة من الدخول في أي اتفاق لربط الاتصال البيني أو النفاذ إذا كان من شأنه تعريض أي شخص أو ممتلكاته للخطر، أو الإضرار بشبكات أو خدمات اتصالات أو تقنية معلومات أخرى.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 16 explained in plain English
After Article 15 required service providers to meet reasonable interconnection and access requests and allowed them to negotiate them, this article sets a limit on what may be agreed.
Any interconnection or access agreement is prohibited if it would:
- endanger any person;
- endanger any person's property; or
- harm other communications or information technology networks or services.
The phrase "would" means that what matters is the nature of the agreement and what it is expected to lead to; the text does not require that harm actually occur. The protection also does not stop at the two parties to the agreement but extends to third parties: any person, and any other networks or services.
The importance of this article is that freedom of negotiation between operators, and even the duty in Article 15 to meet interconnection requests, are restricted by safety and network protection. A request that leads to these risks cannot be implemented by agreement.
The article does not set out in detail the consequence of a violating agreement or how risk is assessed. Anyone drafting interconnection or access agreements should consult a lawyer specializing in communications and information technology law.
Practical example
Two companies agreed to connect their networks in a technical way that bypasses protection standards, which could disrupt the services of a third operator using the same infrastructure. This agreement is prohibited because it would harm other communications networks or services.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 16 of the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Law
Are all interconnection agreements permitted?
No. Any interconnection or access agreement that would endanger any person or their property, or harm other communications or information technology networks or services, is prohibited.
Must harm actually occur for an agreement to be prohibited?
The article uses the phrase "would", so what matters is the danger or harm the agreement is expected to lead to.
More articles on Interconnection and Access
- Article 15
The article requires all service providers to meet reasonable interconnection or access requests, imposes stricter duties on a dominant provider covering 40% of the market, and gives the Authority binding power to resolve disputes.
1- يلتزم جميع مقدمي الخدمة بتلبية الطلبات المعقولة لربط الاتصال البيني أو النفاذ التي يتقدم بها مقدمو خدمة آخرون، وذلك وفقاً للأحكام التي تحددها اللائحة. 2- يلت
- Article 34
The article allows any service provider in a dispute with another service provider to ask the Authority for an amicable settlement, and to turn to the competent court if the settlement is not accepted or 30 days pass without one.
دون إخلال بحكم الفقرة (3) من المادة (الخامسة عشرة) من النظام، عند حدوث نزاع بين مقدمي الخدمة، فلأي منهم التقدم إلى الهيئة للنظر في تسوية النزاع وديًّا. وله في ح
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.