Saudi Arabia Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 8 Nov 2023 Update History

Report Status: Current

Report Pages: 148

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Contact BuddeComm

Purchase this Report

Summary
Table Of Contents

Saudi’s telcos invest internationally to diversify portfolios

Saudi Arabia’s telecom and ICT sectors continue to benefit from the range of programs aimed at diversifying the economy away from a dependence on oil, and establishing a wider digital transformation over the next decade. The country’s telcos have also engaged in this process, with Saudi Telecom Company (stc) notably having bought a 9.9% stake in Telefónica Group.

The competitive mobile sector is served by stc, Mobily, and Zain KSA, as also by four licensed MVNOs. The MNOs have focussed investment on upgrading LTE infrastructure and further developing 5G. This in part is aimed at generating additional revenue from mobile data services, while it also forms part of their collective effort to realise the ambitions of the Vision 2030 program.

While Saudi Arabia’s fixed broadband penetration remains relatively low, there has been a concentration of fibre infrastructure, and the Kingdom has developed one of the fastest services in the region.

This valuable BuddeComm report provides analyses, information, industry statistics and insights into in Saudi Arabia’s progressive telecoms sector.

Key developments:

CITC changes its name to the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST).
stc secures a 9.9% stake in Telefónica Group.
Telecom regulator launches a local roaming service to boost mobile internet and voice coverage to 99% of villages and hamlets.
stc wins 2100MHz auction.
Telecom regulator sets up a Cloud Computing Special Economic Zone.
Report update includes telcos’ financial and operating data to Q3 2023, regulator’s market data updates to 2022, MTIC’s 2022 market data, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report include:

Saudi Telecom Company (stc), Integrated Telecom Company (ITC), GO Telecom/Etihad Atheeb, Mobily/Etihad Etisalat/Bayanat Al-Oula, Zain KSA, Virgin Mobile Saudi Arabia, Arabsat.

Key statistics
Country overview
Telecommunications market

Market overview
Market analysis

Universal licenses
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

Regulatory environment

Historic overview
Regulatory authority
Telecom sector liberalisation
Fixed-line developments

Licenses
Interconnect and access
Universal service
Fixed Number Portability (FNP)

Mobile network developments

Licenses
Roaming
Mobile Termination Rate (MTR)
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Fingerprinting law
Spectrum

Mobile market

Mobile statistics

Mobile voice

Mobile infrastructure

Tower sharing
5G
4G (LTE)
3G
Satellite mobile
NB-IoT
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Major mobile operators

Saudi Telecom Company (stc)
Mobily (Etihad Etisalat)
Zain Saudi Arabia
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)

Mobile content and applications

M-banking and m-payments

Fixed-line broadband market

Market overview

Market analysis

Fixed-line broadband technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks

Integrated Telecom Company (ITC)

Other fixed broadband services

Fixed network operators

Saudi Telecom Company (stc)

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
International infrastructure (satellite, submarine)

Terrestrial cable networks
Submarine cable networks
Satellite networks

Smart infrastructure

Data centres, cloud computing
Blockchain
Artificial Intelligence
Smart grids
Smart cities

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related Reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top-level country statistics and regulatory authorities – Saudi Arabia – 2023 (e)
Table 2 – Saudi Arabia - GDP and inflation – 2012 – 2022
Table 3 – Development of mobile, fixed-line, and total telecom revenue (SAR billion) – 2012 – 2021
Table 4 – Change in fixed and mobile voice and SMS traffic – 2012 – 2018
Table 5 – Change in the number of mobile numbers ported – 2012 – 2021
Table 6 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 7 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers (million) – 2012 – 2019
Table 8 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2018
Table 9 – Change in the number of prepaid mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 10 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 11 – Change in the number of mobile broadband subscriptions by type (million) – 2015 – 2019
Table 12 – Development of stc KSA’s mobile subscribers by type (million) – 2022 – 2023
Table 13 – Change in the number of Mobily’s mobile subscribers – 2006 – 2017
Table 14 – Development of Mobily’s financial data (SAR billion) – 2012 – 2023
Table 15 – Development of Zain KSA’s financial data ($ million) – 2012 – 2023
Table 16 – Development of Zain KSA’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2023
Table 17 – Change in the number of Zain KSA’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Table 18 – Growth in the number of Zain's base stations – 2012 – 2020
Table 19 – Growth in the number of internet users – 2015 – 2023
Table 20 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 21 – Change in the number of fixed broadband subscriptions by platform (million) – 2012 – 2022
Table 22 – Development of stc KSA’s fixed-line subscribers by type (million) – 2022 – 2023
Table 23 – Development of stc Group’s financial data (SAR billion) – 2012 – 2023
Table 24 – Development of stc Group’s operating profit and net profit (SAR billion) – 2012 – 2023
Table 25 – Change in the number of fixed-lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 26 – International internet bandwidth – 2012 – 2021
Table 27 – Historic - Saudi Arabia - fixed lines in service – 1996 – 2011
Table 28 – Historic - Saudi Arabia - mobile, fixed-line and total telecoms revenue of service providers (SAR billion) – 2001 – 2011
Table 29 – Historic - mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1996 – 2011
Table 30 – Historic - Mobily revenue – 2006 – 2011
Table 31 – Historic - stc Group revenue and net profit (SAR billion) – 2005 – 2011
Table 32 – Historic - Saudi Arabia - prepaid subscribers – 2002 – 2011
Table 33 – Historic - Saudi Arabia - major mobile operators’ market share – 2005 – 2011
Table 34 – Historic - Saudi Arabia - fixed broadband subscribers – 2009 – 2011
Table 35 – Historic - Development of Zain KSA’s financial data ($ million) – 2009 – 2011
Table 36 – Historic - Change in the number of Zain KSA’s mobile subscribers – 2009 – 2011
Table 37 – Historic - Development of stc Group’s operating profit and net profit (SAR billion) – 2009 – 2011

List of Charts

Chart 7 – Development of mobile, fixed-line, and total telecom revenue – 2012 – 2021
Chart 8 – Change in fixed and mobile voice and SMS traffic – 2012 – 2018
Chart 9 – Change in the number of mobile numbers ported – 2012 – 2021
Chart 10 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 11 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 12 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2018
Chart 13 – Change in the number of prepaid mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 14 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 15 – Change in the number of mobile broadband subscriptions by type – 2015 – 2019
Chart 16 – Development of Mobily’s financial data – 2012 – 2023
Chart 17 – Development of Zain KSA’s financial data – 2012 – 2023
Chart 18 – Change in the number of Zain KSA’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Chart 19 – Growth in the number of internet users – 2015 – 2023
Chart 20 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 21 – Development of stc Group’s financial data – 2012 – 2023
Chart 22 – Development of stc Group’s operating profit and net profit – 2012 – 2023
Chart 23 – Change in the number of fixed-lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Chart 24 – International internet bandwidth – 2012 – 2021

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 5 – Spectrum auction for 600MHz, 700MHz and 3.8GHz bands
Exhibit 6 – Submarine cables in-service in Saudi Arabia
Exhibit 7 – 2Africa landing stations

Related Reports

Purchase this Report

Contact BuddeComm

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Monitor critical insights with our AI-powered Market Intelligence Platform gathering and analyzing intelligence in real time. With AI trained to spot emerging trends and detect new strategic opportunities, our clients use TMT Intelligence to accelerate their growth.

If you want to know more about it, please see:

TMT Intelligence Platform

Research Methodology

BuddeComm's strategic business reports contain a combination of both primary and secondary research statistics, analyses written by our senior analysts supported by a network of experts, industry contacts and researchers from around the world as well as our own scenario forecasts.

For more details, please see:

Research Methodology

More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research

Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?

Hot Topics

News & Views

Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Saudi Arabia Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Saudi’s telcos invest internationally to diversify portfolios

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report include:

Key statistics

Country overview

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related Reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views