RIYADH — The Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA) announced the launch of Saudi domain name registration services for government agencies and entities within the government sub-branch (.gov.sa) and sub-branch (.sa).

The services are being provided in partnership with the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) as it is the competent authority to organize and operate Saudi domain names. The telecom regulator has entrusted this task to DGA in order to enhance its role in regulating digital government work and to achieve better governance of government domain name registration services.

DGA is concerned with everything related to digital governance and it is the national reference in digital government affairs in the Kingdom. The authority aims to regulate digital work in government agencies in order to facilitate them to provide highly efficient digital services and achieve integration among all government agencies with regard to digital governance.

Eng. Ahmed Al-Soyyan, governor of DGA, said that the authority is keen to achieve integration in the field of digital government and that is in partnership with various government agencies.

“The authority, within its main role of organizing and developing digital government work as well as strengthening governance, will play an important and pivotal role in putting the Kingdom in a distinctive place among the advanced countries in digital government. This is through striving to enable digital transformation in accordance with the highest international standards and to provide digital experiences and services centered on the needs of beneficiaries to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” he said.

In March this year, the Council of Ministers approved the setting up of DGA with the objective of automation of government services and better coordination between ministries and other state bodies. The authority aims to regulate the work of digital government in government agencies, in order to reach a digital and proactive government capable of providing highly efficient digital services and achieving integration in the field of digital government among all government agencies.

The authority explained that the government agencies or companies that have contracts and are operating with government agencies are now able to obtain Saudi domains by submitting applications via the link (dga.gov.sa/domains). The domain registration service aims to enable the user to choose his domain name based on rules and regulations related to Saudi domain names and then register and manage it.

It is noteworthy that the authority issued a circular earlier regarding the establishment of new platforms, mobile applications, and websites on all domains, as well as integration channels and digital services to all government agencies and its affiliated or associated entities. It also underlined the need to obtain prior approval from the authority before establishing any new platform.

The authority’s tasks include approval of policies related to its activities, plans and programs necessary to implement them; propose related system projects; participate in the preparation of national strategies for the digital government, supervise their implementation and follow up on compliance with them. DGA also coordinates with the competent authorities to work on regulating digital government work, platforms, sites and digital government services and government networks.

This includes setting plans and programs related to digital government business and shared digital services, digital trust services and the government digital market platform. It also organizes operations, management and related projects, and circulates them to the relevant authorities, and follows up their compliance.