Page 28 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Launch of Center3 to Enhance Digital Economy Growth in KSA

stc Group, the leading digital enabler, enhancing the Kingdom's position as a environments and the local community to
inaugurated one of its largest and regional digital center. This launch is in line be digitally connected in order to achieve
significant projects, Center3 Company, the with our strategy to expand the scope and digital economy and progress. Previously
digital regional center for the Middle East markets to achieve digital empowerment", at LEAP, the International Conference, stc
and North Africa. The new company will said Eng. Olayan Alwetaid, stc Group CEO. group has announced the launch of an
be the owner of the digital infrastructure "At Center3, we aim to build an integrated initiative to establish a main digital center
assets owned by stc group, including data ecosystem of cables and data centers for the Middle East and North Africa, with
centers, submarine cables, international that seeks to attract Hyper-scalers, big an investment of $1 billion, with the aim of
points of presence, and internet exchange data, and local and international service enabling growth in the Kingdom's economy
points. The inauguration took place in the providers”, said Fahad Alhajeri, Center3 and GDP. This comes in cooperation
presence of H.R.H Prince Mohammad bin CEO. "Center3 will provide data center with regional and international partners.
Khalid Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of services, international communication The center will link three continents,
the Board of Directors of stc Group, His and Internet exchange services through benefiting from the strategic location of
Excellency the Minister of Communications its assets. We will work to achieve the the Kingdom, and promoting investment in
and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah company's vision of making the Kingdom international communication services and
bin Amer Alswaha, and a number of the main digital hub connecting the three data centers. It will include the installation
excellencies and senior executives of stc continents Asia, Europe, and Africa. as of several highly efficient cables to meet
Group. Center3 will be a group of carrier- well as leading the largest share of Internet the future requirements of cloud services,
neutral data centers and a provider of exchange and data traffic in the region”, by investing in an advanced fiber-optic
international communication for the added Alhajeri. With the launch of Center3, network that ensures continuous service
telecommunications sector through a stc Group would have completed the digital availability. On another note, the group had
submarine fiber-optic network. It aims to system pursuit by launching a number of also recently inaugurated the submarine
develop digital businesses and enhance companies in the fields of cybersecurity, cable "Saudi Vision Cable", which is a
investment opportunities in international artificial intelligence, cloud computing, high-speed submarine cable in the Red
communication services and data centers Internet of Things and digital infrastructure. Sea through its first landing station in
by providing the latest communication This will contribute to transforming the Jeddah, which extends over a distance of
and hosting technologies and raising the digital industry in KSA into a leading 1,160,000 meters, and provides high-speed
capacity of data centers to meet the needs industrial power and a global logistics access across the borders of the Kingdom
of the markets across Asia, Europe, Africa, center, as well as the development of the of Saudi Arabia through four landing
and the rest of the world. "The stc Group local industrial sector, which puts Saudi stations, Jeddah, Yanbu, Dhaba, and Haql.
launched Center3 to enhance the digital Arabia at the forefront of global countries,
system, which in turn will contribute to through the transformation of business

28 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022