Kt Enters Middle East With Saudi Telecom

By Baek Byung-yeul

KT has teamed up with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to improve telecommunications infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and co-develop new technologies, a move designed to expand its reach in the Middle East market, the firm said Wednesday.

The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair in Barcelona KT said its Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu and Nasser Al Nasser, CEO of STC Group, attended the ceremony.

With the partnership, KT and STC will cooperate to upgrade fixed-line and mobile networks in Saudi Arabia and collaborate to launch smart city, smart media and next-generation telecom services.

Collaborating with STC, KT plans to export its information and communications technology (ICT)-based services such as GiGA Wire high-speed internet service, GiGAeyes visual security service, fifth-generation (5G) network service, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) services and big data service to the Middle East region.

STC is the state-run telecom firm As the largest telecom operator, it had 317 million fixed-line subscribers and 20.5 million mobile subscribers as of 2017.

The firm also has been providing wireless services in other countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Turkey.

Hwang said cooperation with STC would help the Korean firm secure new markets.

'Through the cooperation between the two companies, we will...