ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s median mobile internet download speed rose to 216 megabits per second in 2025, up from 203 Mbps the previous year, according to a report released by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission.

This ranks the Kingdom among the top five G20 countries, according to the fifth Saudi Internet Report, which said the improvement reflected the continued development of its digital infrastructure.

Internet penetration reached 99.6 percent, with 61.3 percent of users spending at least seven hours online each day. The report said average monthly mobile data consumption reached 53 gigabytes per person, about three times the global average.

Median 5G download speeds reached 320 Mbps, with latency of 24 milliseconds. Median fixed internet download speeds rose to 151 Mbps from 120.4 Mbps, while upload speeds reached 73 Mbps and latency stood at 8 milliseconds. Total internet data traffic in the Kingdom reached 69 million terabytes, with 56 percent of traffic domestic and 44 percent international.

The report also highlighted the growing use of digital services in daily life. Artificial intelligence tools were used by 45.2 percent of internet users, more than double the previous year’s level, with ChatGPT was the most downloaded AI application.

Infographic extracted from the Saudi Internet Report 2025
Government e-services were accessed by 96 percent of internet users, while 85.9 percent used online banking services and 76.9 percent shopped online. Apparel and footwear accounted for 87.7 percent of online purchases.

WhatsApp remained the most widely used social media platform, with a usage rate of 92.7 percent, followed by Snapchat at 83.6 percent and TikTok at 77 percent. The report also said average latency in the most popular online games improved by 89 percent.

The Riyadh region accounted for the largest share of internet data traffic at 30.6 percent, followed by the Makkah region at 20.5 percent and the Eastern region at 16.8 percent.

IPv6 activation reached 67 percent among users, while about 200 Saudi Autonomous System Numbers were registered online, according to the report.

The findings come as Saudi Arabia recently ranked first among 159 economies in the International Telecommunication Union’s 2026 ICT Development Index.