Haitham Abu Aisha, chairman of the communication information and technology committee at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry and chief executive officer of Sahara Net , made the announcement here recently at the firm's annual meeting. He said the project, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, would bring together government and private sector technology partners.

Once participants complete the initial planning, the project would be submitted to the relevant government security agencies for final approval. Abu Aisha said the meeting discussed various strategic issues, including training more Saudi graduates in communication and information security. Qais Al-Esaa, a specialist in information security and deputy chief executive officer of Sahara Net , said that the first stage of the project would ensure that all government websites are hosted in the Kingdom by the same agency through an accredited provider licensed by Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission.