JEDDAH, 27 March 2005 — Ettihad Etisalat (Mobily) will begin experimental operations next month by launching the third generation (3G) mobile phone service for the first time in the Kingdom.
Mobily, which won the GSM and 3G licenses last year by paying SR12.96 billion ($3.457 billion), has already established most of its infrastructure facilities in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province.
Mobily, the first competitor of Saudi telecom giant STC, has reiterated that it will focus on quality service. “Watch out for the great offers and surprises from this coming Rabi Al-Awwal (the lunar month which begins on April 10),” a company advertisement said.
The 3G service, the latest in wireless communication technology, offers subscribers a wide range of data services, such as mobile Internet access and multimedia applications.
Significant features of 3G systems are that they support much higher data transmission rates and offer increased capacity, which makes them suitable for high-speed data applications as well as for traditional voice calls. Unlike ordinary mobiles, a 3G mobile handset provides many new features such as TV streaming, video clip viewing and exchanging, Web browsing, e-mail, videoconferencing, paging, fax, and navigational maps.
The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), the Kingdom’s regulator, has already warned 3G mobile users against using the technology for purposes deemed immoral.
“We expect (3G) providers to follow the same rules as Internet providers,” said CITC Information Technology General Manager Ahmed Sindi.
Mobily, however, has distanced itself from what material the technology could be used to view. “We will be the facilitator but never a pipeline,” said Khalid Al-Kaf, the company’s chief executive officer.
According to Al-Madinah Arabic daily, Etisalat’s mobile numbers will begin with 056 and 059. The new GSM operator has not yet announced its service charges as it is awaiting CITC endorsement.
Mobily aims to capture 60 percent of the Saudi market within four years. “We expect to have 36 percent in the first year of operation. Within the next three to four years it should reach more than 60 percent and we’ll have the lion’s share,” Al-Kaf said.
Al-Kaf indicated that Etisalat would have a special rate for roaming service. “We know that expatriates are looking for special rates in order to contact their families at home. Businessmen also want special rates. Our mission is to become part of the social life,” he said.
Al-Kaf said Etisalat would be able to cover 32 cities and all the Kingdom’s main roads by the end of this year. “In Riyadh we will have full coverage but in such regions as Qasim, Asir, Najran, Jizan, Tabuk and Taif, our coverage will be limited to the main streets. The villages will be covered by STC in the beginning,” he pointed out.
