Telecom Operators

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) Group is the incumbent telecommunications operator in Saudi Arabia with headquarters in Riyadh, and is a regional powerhouse with approximately US$13.5 billion annual revenues (2015), and listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange. STC has approximately 100,000,000 customers worldwide to whom it provides high technology knowledge-based innovative solutions with a fiber optic network spanning 137,000 kilometers across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. STC operates the largest mobile, fixed and international networks in the region covering more than 99% of the country's population and customers regionally and globally. STC Group has two regional subsidiaries and several international strategic investments. Combined with its strong financials and sound performance, STC is the most reliable partner in the region. STC is constantly investing in new technologies to provide the best in class service to customers.

Mobily has developed counter (Anti-DDoS) attacks service for the business sector which will provide businesses with complete security from both attacks and cyber hackers which will enable the business sector with the ability to continue operations and continuity.

The world is progressively changing with the emergence of innovative technologies that have a dramatic impact on our behavior. Today's end users are looking for a more personalized experience that caters to their needs. They have a louder voice as a result of their ability to share views and rate services. This confirms the well-known saying that the customer is king!

In a surprise move, the CEO of Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA), Mr. Hassan Kabbani, has stepped down citing personal reasons. He submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors on December 6, 2016, and his resignation was approved on the same day to be effective as of December 31, 2016. To replace Kabbani, Zain KSA has announced the appointment of Mr. Peter Kaliarpoulos as the new CEO - a position that will take effect on January 1, 2017. The Board of the Company approved this resolution on December 6, 2016.

Zain Saudi Arabia announces the appointment of telecom stalwart Peter Kaliaropoulos as CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA), effective January 1, 2017. Peter joins the company to continue the healthy foundation of transformation and growth achieved over the past three years by Hassan Kabbani, who has decided to step down from his post for personal reasons, effective 31st December 2016.

UAE operator du and Zain KSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop their human resources through knowledge exchange sessions. The two operators joined hands to share experiences and operational plans during the agreed period, in addition to holding periodic workshops that address several areas of interest and development.

Juniper Networks, an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, announced that Hatem Hariri has been appointed as general manager, Middle East and Africa. In this role, Hariri is responsible for all aspects of sales strategy, planning and operations across Juniper's entire MEA business.

Telefonica has successfully tested Nokia's XGS-PON (Passive Optical Network) next-generation fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology in its labs, delivering symmetrical broadband speeds of up to 10Gbps. Providing a simple upgrade path from the current GPON fiber technology deployed by Telefonica, XGS-PON will deliver faster broadband speeds to customers and facilitate Telefonica's 5G mobile network roll-out.

du has pledged AED1 million over the next two years in support of the philanthropic initiatives of Emirates Foundation, the national foundation of the UAE established to facilitate public-private partnerships for empowering youth, as its Gold Partner. The collaboration between the two entities will commence in January 2017 until December 2018 with an aim to invest in youth development initiatives in the UAE.

Batelco, in line with its commitment to support the Enterprise business sector in Bahrain, has announced the introducion of an Unlimited Calling from all Fixed PSTN (public switched telephone network) lines for enterprise customers. The new bolt-on offers great valueand will be automatically implemented by the end of December, 2016.