Introduction
Internet access in Saudi Arabia is still quite new and is being developed still as I write this. ISP's are being unleashed on the general population of the Kingdom. But be under no illusion that it's the Internet we all know and love in the West.
All the ISP's in Kingdom have to go through the Internet Services Unit (ISU) in Riyadh. Try and imagine all the ISP's in your home country trying to get out into the WWW via one server. That's exactly what happens in Saudi Arabia.
All net traffic is monitored and "filtered" using some of the most advanced "snooping" software on the planet. Obviously they can only monitor where you are going and not what you are actually doing. Say you were writing e-mails with a web based server like Hotmail, for example, they wouldn't be able to read the mail but they would know that you had been there. This is all assuming that you use a web based mail service. I would strongly advise you to do so as any mail going through your server can easily be intercepted. Anybody who thinks that it wouldn't be, shouldn't be using the net at all.
The connection speeds are very slow. A lot slower than you have probably come to expect from the West. If I can transfer data faster than 1.0 kbs I'm happy. Compared to the UK, where you can transfer data at speeds greater than 45 kbs plus. Probably even faster you you guys in the States.
ISP's
There four, in my opinion, ISP's worth a try in Kingdom. This is based on cost, data transfer and stability. These are Sahara, Atheer , Shabakah and Awalnet I speak from experience of using them myself or second hand opinions from others I know and trust.
Cost
Access to the internet is getting cheaper all the time. They are all, so far as I am aware, accessed via local phone calls costing about SAR 3 an hour. Thats about 50 UK pence or whatever it converts to in your own currency. As well as the calls, you will have to pay a monthly fee for access. Atheer for example, which is the one I use, costs me SAR 320 for 3 months for unlimited access. You can have Internet access cards for 5,10, 25, 50 and 100 hours depending on how many you think you will require. I would suggest that you try each ISP's card first and then decide which one you would like to stay with.
Censorship
As I mentioned earlier, the internet is filtered and censored using some of the most sophisticated software known. The downside of this is that they are screening words and not content. By this I mean that they have no idea what it is they are blocking you from. It may be the case that the site you are trying to access is quite innocent and should not be blocked. For this reason the "blocking" page you will be shown provides you with a form you can fill out allowing you to state the reason why you think the site should not be blocked. Good luck. I've filled about four to date and all of them have been ignored. Personally, I feel that the censors just can't be bothered to follow up on the requests and hence the site remains blocked. If anyone knows any different, convince me. There is Satellite access available as well as "gateway" programs that sidestep the censorship. But I wouldn't dare to suggest that anyone use them of course.
This was posted in the Arab News on the 15th June 2001 and talks about censorship in Saudi Arabia. Interesting read.
If you would like to have a go at unblocking a website, just fill out this form Or if you feel that a site should be blocked for whatever reason, fill this form out.
If you're interested, here is a complete list of all the ISP's in Kingdom.
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