Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - February-March 2021

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

Q. How is stc investing in technology coverage and KSA is ranked among the paradigm of industrial innovation known
to help enable your future business best 5G networks globally. as “Industry 4.0”. Across the world, leading
growth and if you could share some key • stc has recently won a number of industrial firms are driving innovation in
achievements on the technology front and awards for 5G technology such as three developing private 5G networks designed
its impact on your business? international awards at the 5G MENA specifically to address the challenges they
A. Technology is not only an enabler but summit. face, including supply chain optimization,
a key source of strategic competitive • stc is investing heavily in the IT service plant operations continuity, and safety and
advantage for stc. Improvement in Global and is the market leader in KSA. workforce well-being.
Competitiveness Index (GCI) is a clear • stc has successfully connected more
target in KSA Vision 2030 and Saudi than 2 million households with high These innovations in 5G Campus Networks
Arabia has been consistently improving its quality fiber (FTTH) technology. are primed for massive growth in adoption
position. Saudi Arabia jumped up by three • stc is also investing heavily in IoT and provide a unique strategic opportunity
positions in the global ranking (36th rank). use cases, cloud services, and data for stc to expand our B2B portfolios,
Among the G20 economies references by analytics capabilities. These areas are strengthen our foothold in the enterprise
the WEF, Saudi Arabia is a top digital riser. strategic growth areas for stc. market, and capture significant economic
• stc’s digital transformation efforts value from high margin value propositions.
Investment in ICT has been the biggest have shown great success during Similar to the Telcos around the world, stc
contributor in KSA’s GCI improvement and Covid-19 pandemic. Our ability to serve is also taking aggressive action to seize
stc’s investment in technology in the past customers through digital channels and the 5G Campus Networks opportunity. We
few years. continue operations through remote are partnering with enterprise customers
working has been an exceptional and solution providers to explore use
Digital transformation in one of the four success. This has only been possible cases that will shape value propositions
pillars of stc’s dare strategy. In addition due to our investments in digital in this area. Below are the use cases we
to developing new ways of working transformation. are exploring as combination with our
and building human capabilities, our • stc’s investments in Fintech – stc Pay Smart 5G Campus offering. Machine to
fundamental focus is on building the right – are creating significant value and the Machine (M2M) and Machine to X (M2X)
technology platforms that will enable business scale is growing. Communication, Smart Helmet , and
agile operations, world class customer Predictive Maintenance.
experience and become a growth engine Going forward, stc will continue to enrich
for new digital services. people's lives as our main brand and These are just a few examples of the
to invest in new technologies, and will innovative use cases being developed
In summary: play a significant role in the development for Smart 5G Campus Networks that
• stc has maintained its technology of the Kingdom’s mega projects such illustrate the massive potential for 5G in
leadership position in the region and as NEOM, the Red Sea project, and empowering the evolution of Industry 4.0.
launched the first commercial 5G other entertainment, transport, and Many more applications and use cases are
network in the region. Since then, infrastructure projects. Building the being developed across the ecosystem
we have significantly invested in 5G underlying smart technologies that will to address challenges inhibiting the next
facilitate the attractiveness of these mega industrial transformation.
Digital transformation in projects for foreign investment.
one of the four pillars of stc’s To continue its pioneering role in
dare strategy. In addition Q. Many telecos are working on 5G for unlocking potentials of new technologies,
stc is investing in its LAB as well as
business to business. What is your input
to developing new ways on this? its Technology Innovation Center (TIC)
of working and building A. 5G technology promises significant to create the foundation needed for
human capabilities, our benefits and breakthroughs that sparked an validating and developing new use cases
that leverage the capabilities of the latest
unprecedented wave of innovation in many
fundamental focus is different domains and applications. The technologies such as 5G, edge computing,
on building the right combination of unprecedented wireless Artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain,
and Internet of Things (IoT). In addition,
network speed, extremely low latency,
technology platforms and features like edge cloud and network stc LAB and stc TIC serve as a platform
that will enable agile slicing and virtualization can transform the for collaborations with universities and
research and development (R&D) centers
ways in which data is generated, collected
operations, world class and used. across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to
customer experience and help students unleash their innovation
become a growth engine The opportunities these developments abilities and create the next generation of
innovators and job creators.
present to the industrial world are truly
for new digital services. transformative, and are driving a new .

10 FEB-MAR 2021