RIYADH, 22 October 2006 — Millions of residents in the Kingdom need not worry about a congested telephone network when they try to call their loved ones at home during the Eid this year. In a statement exclusive to Arab News, the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) said that it has increased its capacity and can handle millions of additional international calls.
“STC has increased the capacity of its three switchboards in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam so that each switchboard can handle 7 million international calls per hour,” the company statement said. “In addition to the three main switchboards, a fourth switchboard has been established in Jeddah to boost the overall capacity of international calls to 30 million,” it added.
According to the latest census figures, six million foreigners live in Saudi Arabia legally.
The company said that it had also taken into consideration the large number of calls made by Umrah pilgrims who wish to speak to their families back home.
Moreover, it said that STC had made preparations for updating its international network by communicating with international companies that provide direct linkage through networks in their countries.
“The company has increased its number of international circuits based on the 20 most-frequently dialed Muslim and non-Muslim countries,” the statement said. After the increase, the total number of international circuits that can be used are 71,000. STC currently provides international service to 240 countries. Of that number, 80 countries can be contacted by STC customers through direct international channels.
STC’s international network relies on sea cables in addition to the facilities provided by satellites such as ARABSAT and INTELSAT.
Meanwhile, STC has announced a 50 percent discounts on domestic and international calls. The offer is valid for 24 hours from midnight on the eve of Eid.
The largest group is from India with 1.5 million residents. The second largest is Filipinos estimated at 1.3 million.
