In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review during LEAP2023, Saud Alsheraihi, products & solutions VP, stc Group, talks about his company’s efforts in offering unique solutions and consolidating the ICT ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
How do the current industry trends impact stc Group's development and deployment of advanced products and solutions?
In today's world, everything is going to digitalization, and various industries are going through digital transformation. As such, there is a need for multiple services, starting from the infrastructure, enablement, cloud, security and applications that will enable those digital transformations. This is where stc's role comes in. As a group, with our subsidiaries and the presence that we have in the country and beyond, we are providing lots of services that serve the needs of organizations going through their digital transformations. There is a positive impact for us, and this is where I see the new opportunity for the group as part of their strategy, which is expanding in scale and scope.
What are the new products and solutions you have in line for 2023? How do you plan to improve existing ones to cater to ever-changing customer demands?
The continuous efforts of the past years have led us to where we are today. In the past, we invested heavily in expertise in certain industries. Instead of going through niche areas and coming as a telecom or technology provider, we invested in resources that understand the technologies, for example, in healthcare, industrial logistics, smart cities, etc. And this year, we are coming up as a whole, end-to-end journey for our clients that will lead us to provide end-to-end services to our esteemed customers with a full-fledged proposition from stc as a group.
From your perspective, how important are customized telecom and ICT solutions in the digital transformation journey of consumers, enterprises and governments, in both the Kingdom and across the Middle East region?
Bespoke solutions are important, and that is why we go through specialized co-creation exercises that help us understand the pain points and the needs of our customers. No customer wants solutions that are just thrown at them. They need to be listened to and heard so that we can provide them with the right proposition. There are the building blocks and standard services and offerings like connectivity, cybersecurity elements, managed services, etc., and on top of that, there are the bespoke solutions specifically designed for our customers.
What are stc’s unique propositions this year at LEAP 2023?
stc, as a group, expanded in scale and scope with lots of subsidiaries coming together. At LEAP, we are bridging the gap and making sure that we have a strong story together for the whole group. Instead of focusing on certain specific products, we are coming up with new and unique solutions around industrial logistics, smart cities and healthcare solutions, as well as metaverse and space. stc, as a group, alongside its subsidiaries, is coming up with those value propositions and solutions. Believe it or not, behind the subsidiaries there are a ton of partners that are working with us to create that ecosystem.
