Zain KSA joins the Saudi LTE network launch

Saudi Arabian telco Zain KSA has launched its LTE services in the three cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, with plans to extend the service to other cities in the country by the end of 2012.
The country has seen three consecutive LTE launches during this week, with all the three operators of Mobily, STC and Zain KSA claiming to be the first telco in the MENA region to commercially launch a network based on LTE technology. However, STC’s announcement of the LTE launch came in a day after its closest rival Mobily revealed that it had launched its LTE service using the TD-LTE technology.
Ahmed Al-Faifi, chief operating officer of Zain KSA said that the LTE network will further enhance the customer experience due to the surging use of smart devices among the Saudi Arabian population. Zain KSA states that the LTE service can provide customers with data download speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
Al-Faifi said that Zain KSA began the LTE trial process in February 2010 with three partners of Motorola, Ericsson and Huawei. “Today, the commercial offering is launched in partnership with Huawei,” he added.