Senior officials from postal service providers across the GCC gathered in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, last month to discuss the creation of a unified, region-wide delivery service.

According to a report in the Arab News daily newspaper, the offi cials discussed “fi nal details” of a plan to create a single company that would provide surface and airmail services throughout the GCC.

However, in a nod to the glacial speed of delivery that customers currently endure in the GCC, the discussions were not concluded in Dammam, and will not begin again until November.

Details of last month’s closed door meeting were not released, but Mohammed Bantan, the president of Saudi Post, told Arab News afterwards that offi cials had discussed who would be in charge of managing a regional postal system, fi nance issues, sourcing equipment and studying standardisation of procedures and practices.