RIYADH, 25 April 2005 — With Mobily scheduled to launch its telephone service by the end of June, final preparations are under way, according to Amjed Shacker, corporate communications director. “We’re sticking to schedule. We announced last March 27 the test of launch. We distributed SIM cards to employees and their families and the test proved successful. Tests are ongoing because we want to ensure quality service which customers will appreciate from the start,” he told Arab News. Hamed Al-Kharji, human resources (HR) executive manager, said that Mobily has recruited some 634 male and female Saudis who are currently undergoing training. “Mobily’s strategy is to capitalize on non-Saudi expertise to train Saudis with the objective of the latter gradually replacing the former over the coming years with the hope of realizing a Saudization rate of above 80 percent,” he said.