Zain Saudi Arabia signs interconnect agreement with Kuwait's Ministry of Communications

Zain Group has announced that its operation in Saudi Arabia has entered into an interconnection agreement to become an international carrier with the Ministry of Communications (MoC) in Kuwait.
MoC Kuwait is the country’s international gateway owner and operator. With this agreement, Zain Saudi Arabia (KSA) becomes one of the Ministry’s international carrier partners. Significant international traffic is exchanged between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia every year and this accord will offer Zain KSA a greater share of the international carrier business from Kuwait into and out of the Kingdom.
For many years there was only one international carrier in Saudi Arabia connected to MoC Kuwait, and with this agreement, it brings the number up to three. Having a number of international carrier partners in place in the Kingdom offers choice and competition to MoC Kuwait, which in turn improves the value proposition that end-users such as corporates and individuals receive.
At a signing ceremony held earlier, His Excellency Salem Mutheeb Al Atheena, Kuwait’s Communication, Electricity and Water Minister said: “The Ministry is pleased to sign this international carrier agreement with Zain KSA.
He said, “This is an important agreement we have entered into globally, and it is with the third operator in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait and the Kingdom have very strong economic and social ties so it is important that the quality of the communications networks between the two countries also reflects how important our relationship is.”
Fraser Curley, CEO Zain KSA said: “The interconnection between MoC Kuwait as an owner and operator of the international gateway on behalf of all the operators in Kuwait, and Zain KSA as one of the international gateway operators in the Kingdom, is a significant development that is set to benefit users in both countries.”
Kuwait’s Ministry of Communications controls the international telecoms traffic through its international portal. Zain KSA will now benefit from the huge volume of international telecom traffic between the two countries.”
He said: “This agreement is a significant step for Zain KSA in the implementation of our operational strategy. It is one of a series of projects we are working on as part of our plan to improve our reach in quality and innovation of our services.
Curley continued: “With this agreement in place, Zain KSA can now route its international calls exchanged with Kuwait on a direct link with MoC Kuwait, thereby enhancing the quality at an optimized cost.”
He noted that Zain KSA is successfully enhancing its operational and financial performance, to enable the Company to expand its product portfolio and customer base in both business and residential segments.
Zain Group is one of the leading telecom operators in the Middle East, and as such the establishment of this important interconnect agreements is crucial for the operator to continue offering the best in class services.