French networking giant Alcatel-Lucent has landed a contract with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to deploy the high-speed 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network in Saudi Arabia.STC has turned to high-speed 4G LTE to help meet the growing need for data driven by the increasing use of rich applications by both smartphone and laptop users.
Although neither company has disclosed the financial details of the deal, 4G LTE will ease the pressure of traffic on its network and help consumers easily download and transfer high definition video and real-time gaming contents.
Wireless broadband is a new trend in Saudi Arabia and it has a promising future as the number of Internet users in the area has grown rapidly in recent years, perhaps more than that of international rates, according to Saudi Department of Communications. According to the company’s estimate, penetration rates for mobile voice services ranged from 170 percent to 185 percent in 2011 and are predicted to reach 250 percent in 2015.
The contract awarded to Alcatel is designed to deploy high-speed networks in as many as 11 major cities in the oil-rich nation.
Dr. Zeyad Al-Etaibi, CTO of STC Group said their aim is to enhance mobile experience “unmatched in the industry.” He also added in a statement, "This LTE deal with STC includes Managed Services of all sites Alcatel-Lucent will deploy".
For Alcatel-Lucent, this is a major deal won in the Saudi market and it says its technologies will help the Saudi operator launch a number of revenue-generating services at a lower cost.
The Saudi telecom operator has over the years expanded its presence into many countries including Kuwait, Bahrain, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and South Africa.
Narayan Bhat is a contributing editor for MobilityTechzone. To read more of Narayan’s articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Jamie Epstein 
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