The conference is an integral part of sustaining connections and communication for and about cybersecurity among nations in the Middle East and North Africa, spreading awareness and building a culture of online security.

Among the many issues discussed at the conference were compliance, legislation, governance, and cloud computing security, along with many other topics that pose a challenge in information and data security.

Dr. Ahmed Sindi, the Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Dawiyat, the fiber optics subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company, presented a working paper on the spread and popularity of smart cities around the world, the growing importance of cybersecurity, and the role Dawiyat plays in the enablement of both, especially in this day and age of pervasive Internet of Things applications and smart meters.

Dawiyat has obtained the first license for the wholesale of infrastructure in the Kingdom, which enables it to build, buy, sell and lease infrastructure in bulk in the Kingdom, especially dark and active fiber optics, household fiber optic installations, and other business lines that assist telecommunications providers in getting their services to end users.

In 2017, the company had signed a deal with the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for an initiative to spread broadband fiber optics across the country, with Dawiyat tasked to build 27 percent of the networks.

The company is in partnerships with several telecom corporations, including Integrated Telecom, Zain Saudi Arabia, and Etihad Atheeb Telecom, to support broadband projects around the Kingdom.

The company also signed deals with Saudi Aramco, the Ministry of Housing, and industrial zone developer Modon.