Under the patronage of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha, the international “Connecting the World from the Skies” forum kicked off Tuesday in Riyadh with the participation of ministers as well as a group of CEOs from major NTN companies, prominent international experts and researchers in technology and investment, in addition to international regulators. Dr. Mohammed Al-Tamimi, the governor of Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CSTC), demonstrated in his opening keynote presentation that the goal of organizing the forum is to build bridges and promote cooperation to enable innovations that will contribute to the growth and diversity of the economy, as well as to the creation of a shared and fair space for all, which reflects the Kingdom’s mission and its global partners. This is achieved through international collaborations and partnerships between international organizations such as the ITU, he said, while assuring that NTN is effective at increasing coverage and reaching the most inaccessible areas, to achieve sustainable use of future networks to serve the humanity meaning without adverse effects on the planet. Dr. Al-Tamimi described the Kingdom’s innovation and technology market as being the largest and fastest growing in the MENA region. He emphasized the importance of continuity in enhancing the Kingdom"s position in the ICT sector by adopting and investing in future technologies, as well as implementing trials to provide innovative solutions in the field, and driving development by authorizing regulations to encourage the sector to grow. Saudi Arabia became the world’s first country to conduct 5G testing using HAPS, and the first trial of 5G backhauling using LEO satellites in MENA region. The international “Connecting the World from the Skies” forum is part of the Commission’s non-terrestrial networks program, which discusses several topics related to the most prominent services provided by non-terrestrial networks. It also discussed their organizational and technical aspects, through its specialized sessions, features the commission’s technical trials in the NTN field and demonstrates the NTN role in adopting the 6G telecom networks and how it provides a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. The forum also includes the Competition on Non-Terrestrial Networks for B5G and 6G, which was launched in collaboration with IEEE. — SPA