The Saudi Arabian Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) has granted Aramco Digital, the digital technology subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, a Specialized Radio Network Licence in the 450MHz band. This license, awarded after Aramco Digital completed the necessary regulatory procedures, is intended for a dedicated network independent of public mobile networks and designed to meet the specialized needs of various industrial and business sectors.
The 450MHz band is not available for public telecom operations. The license will facilitate the establishment of a network utilizing the latest global wireless technologies, advancing digital transformation in industrial, energy, transportation, healthcare, and other national sectors. It will also enable the applications of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
In a LinkedIn post, Tareq Amin, CEO of Aramco Digital, stated that the company will deploy a mission-critical mobile network incorporating state-of-the-art technologies. He highlighted the creation of a horizontal telco cloud powered by Aramco Digital’s secure public cloud, and introduced “Nawat,” an enterprise applications and solutions platform modeled after the app store concept in consumer technology.
Amin explained, “Nawat allows enterprises to consume industrial digitalization use cases on an as-a-service basis and fosters the creation of a large and open ecosystem of enterprises, independent software vendors, application service providers, and independent developers.”
RCR Wireless News noted the uncertainty around whether Saudi Aramco will sub-let local tranches of the 450MHz band for standalone enterprise networks or integrate and support local enterprise networks within a nationwide industrial 5G infrastructure.
According to Mobile World Live, Saudi Aramco launched its digital arm, Aramco Digital, in 2023 and appointed former Rakuten Symphony boss Tareq Amin as its CEO. At MWC Barcelona 2024, Amin outlined a vision for developing software platforms and promoting a private 5G strategy, steering clear of the consumer mobile segment.