Huawei announced its 5G network deal with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019) in Barcelona.
Earlier, Ericsson and Nokia have also announced their 5G network deals with STC that has presence in Saudi Arabia. This means both Samsung and ZTE did not receive the 5G network deal from STC.

Huawei said it has already obtained more than 30 5G commercial contracts and delivered over 40,000 5G sites.

Huawei in 2018 helped STC to deploy Saudi Arabia’s first E2E 5G network (Packet Switch core, transmission, wireless and CPE). STC will provide larger 5G outdoor and indoor coverage in Aspiration project.

STC will modernize its existing LTE network through latest technologies such as PS (Packet Switch) core, Massive MIMO, 15-band antenna and multi-band technology.

Huawei will support STC to introduce global partners to KSA for 5G ecosystem, and deliver services to Saudi citizens and enterprises. The focus is to support National Transformation Program 2020. STC aims to maximize investment efficiency in term of capital and operations spend.

Nasser Al Nasser, chief executive officer of STC, said: “STC is committed to pioneering the 5G network developments and deployment to deliver digitized society in KSA.”

Emad A. Alaoudah, Procurement and Support Services Sector VP, STC, said: “STC has signed multiple Rawafed Local Content agreements under its 5G Aspiration Project with strategic partners.”

Huawei at MWC 2019 is showcasing its end-to-end 5G products and solutions, ranging from simplified 5G sites and 5G integrated transport, to 5G cloud core and simplified 5G O&M. It also demonstrated its core technologies behind the new products and solutions, including radio frequency, optical transmission, IP, and IT.