Saudi Arabia: Mobily hits record of 3.5G with 1.8 million subscribers

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Mobily, the second mobile operator in KSA has announced that it has reached 1.8 million subscribers in all 3.5G services, beating all the records in the Middle East and North Africa. Mobily’s spokesperson Mr. Humoud Al Ghobaini said that Mobily subscribers can enjoy the services of 3.5G without changing or swapping SIM, and this is a unique service offered by Mobily only, a major factor in raising the number of 3.5 G subscribers.

“We have covered Hofuf and Shaibah with 3.5G network recently where Saudi Aramco has some facilities there, so a broadband service can be available to internet users as well. Mobily data bundle subscribers download terabyte (1000 gigabyte) daily, and this is equivalent to what 140,000 subscribers download daily in one of the European mobile operators,” Al Ghoabini added.

Al Ghobaini confirms that Mobily will invest one Billion Saudi Riyals in expanding the 3.5G network before the end of this year. “We will include more cities and towns, and extend broadband services to accommodate the high unprecedented traffic on our nodes”. The Mobily 3G subscribers get several free added-value services besides the features such as video conversations, high-speed Internet access and television channels, games and watching video clips.

Mobily completed its own 3.5G network last year, which covers 23 cities and towns in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, consisting more than 1000 base stations. Mobily which started its operation with 2.5 G network mid 2005, was the first Saudi company to obtain the license of the 3G and 3.5G mobile services, and has been able to build an excellent infrastructure of both generations in a record time.