STC’s LTE trial to be conducted by Alca- Lu (Saudi Arabia)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Alcatel-Lucent has been awarded a contract by Saudi Telecom Company (STC) for an LTE trial for STC. The new programme is scheduled to begin in H2 and it is expected to enable STC to test the performance of LTE-based services and assess the related business models.
The LTE expertise of STC will be leveraged by Alcatel- Lucent to provide an integrated product including LTE base stations (eNodeBs), the Evolved Packet Core, IP service routing network elements as well as operation, administration and maintenance systems to STC.
STC will also be provided with a range of professional services including project management, planning, installation, integration and commissioning, and testing by Alcatel- Lucent.
Viva Bahrain begins operations
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Viva Bahrain, Bahrain’s third mobile network and a subsidiary of Saudi Telecom Company (STC) opened its doors to the customers by launching its commercial services. Mobile broadband access at speeds of up to 21Mbps, packaged with unlimited downloads is included in the service spread across Bahrain.
Wireless broadband at peak speeds of 7.2Mbps via a single router could be enjoyed by upto five people. Free calls and SMS within its Bahraini network and free calls to STC numbers in Saudi Arabia will be offered by Viva for the next three months. 90% discounts on calls made to 18 popular international destinations will also be offered by the operator.
The 3G-enabled pre-paid SIM cards will cost up to BHD2 (USD5.3), while the -paid handset bundles come with up to 200MB of inclusive data usage per month. An offer of 24% more credit with the recharge of the SIM has also been announced by the company.
Till date, an investment of USD200 million has been made by STC in Bahrain and a further investment of ‘several hundred million’ dollars is expected in the next few years.
According to Viva Bahrain CEO Abdulrahman Al Omar, the company plan to compete in the Bahraini market by providing innovative services that meet the needs of the market and enrich the level of services, whether voice or data transmission or even high speed broadband.
STC records 154% increase in net profit for 4Q
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: 154% rise in net profit has been announced by Saudi Telecom Company (STC) for the three months that ended December 31, 2009. The leading mobile and broadband provider by subscribers, STC, made SAR2.94 billion (USD784 million) in the fourth quarter of 2009, up from SAR1.16 billion a year earlier.
Meanwhile, a net loss of SAR657 million for the three months ended 31 December 2009 has been reported by Zain Saudi Arabia. However, a decline of 44.3% to SAR436 million has also been estimated in the operating losses. The fourth quarter revenue of Zain jumped by 110.6%, up to SAR895 million.
