Saudi Telecommunications Co. (stc Group), the Saudi digital enabler, concluded its participation in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (MWC2023) by signing more than 20 strategic agreements with the world's pioneers in the telecommunications, networking, and information-technology industry, showcasing its latest technologies and digital solutions. On the sidelines of the conference, stc received the award for the most valuable brand in the telecom sector in the Middle East for the third year in a row, per the "Brand Finance Global 500" classification of the most powerful brands globally. Eng. Abdullah Al-Kanhal, Chief Strategy Officer of stc Group, said: "We conclude our extensive participation in the MWC2023 conference in Barcelona, which is part of our strategy that centers around expanding our business and supporting the digital ecosystem. Since its inception, stc Group has succeeded in developing many solutions and technologies, mainly artificial intelligence solutions, the Internet of Things (IoT), telemedicine, smart cities, data centers, big data, 5.5G networks, and smart cars." Al-Kanhal added: "We are proud of what we have achieved in terms of technical development in the Kingdom as we continue our journey towards the future, and we will keep pace with the latest and most recent technologies through all means, whether through alliances with major international companies and signing agreements or developing and supporting local content and investment, to meet the needs of the public and the private sectors." During its participation in MWC23, stc Group signed several agreements with major international companies, including Huawei, Cisco, Samsung, Microsoft, Ericsson, and other companies, to expand and develop 5-G technologies and cloud computing to contribute to accelerating the digital transformation in the Kingdom. The agreements included one with the Alaian Alliance to provide best practices in the field of innovation and explore solutions developed by startups. Meanwhile, the partnership between stc and Lucid Electric Cars aims to enable connected car technologies and provide a pioneering digital driving experience that enhances the utilization of many in-vehicle features. The Group also sealed a strategic agreement with Huawei on the advanced 5.5G technology, which provides the latest technologies to help stc build leading 5-G networks, provide a distinctive experience for its customers, and establish solid foundations for digital transformation. Huawei and stc signed another agreement in the field of cloud computing and infrastructure. As part of its strategic partnership with the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), stc announced joining GSMA's "Open Gateway" initiative, by designing a framework of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to provide global access to operators' networks for developers, making it easier and faster to improve existing services and deploy new services to customers across the operators' networks. The Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with GSMA Group under which stc Group will sponsor the Mobile360 conference to be held in Riyadh. The group also signed an agreement with GSMA aimed at analyzing, establishing, and managing current and future spectrum. Moreover, stc Group announced a strategic partnership with Tuya, a company specializing in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT), aiming to develop IoT solutions, including smart home solutions. The Group's "Iot squared" company signed an agreement with Mico, one of the incubated companies in InspireU, in addition to a three-party partnership between stcplay, InspireU, and NINe66 to launch an incubation program for emerging game development studios and to build a program for each incubated game development studio. To promote innovation, research, and development in the region, stc signed a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft and a strategic agreement with AALTO HAPS to bring stratospheric connectivity solutions to Saudi Arabia. Over four days of its participation, stc Group made a remarkable presence in the exhibition held on the sidelines of MWC2023, where it highlighted the Kingdom's success in the telecommunications sector, and its journey as a national enabler supporting digital transformation and sustainability through the latest technologies and digital solutions, including Metaverse technologies, virtual reality, connected car technologies, the latest IoT technologies, and the latest Cybersecurity solutions. It also highlighted the participation of its subsidiaries center3, Sirar, and stcpay, as well as several companies incubated by the InspireU program.
