STC announced the launch of the 1st LTE 4G network in the Middle East and North Africa making it the first operator in the region to adopt the 4th generation technology making it within reach of its customers. STC has adopted this technology in the beginning of 2010 and announced the successful completion of the testing period making it the choice for next generation of mobile telecommunications. This new technology will enhance both the capacity and effectiveness of the network allowing for real internet speeds reaching 100 Mbps for downloading data. The LTE technology also allows operators to provide fixed services on mobile networks and convergence between fixed and mobile services

The new LTE technology provides other attractive features such as high quality performance especially for mobile telecommunications at very high speeds and assists operators to enhance network capacity and strengthen network performance as the technology is 3 to 4 times efficient in terms of HSPA capability and is 2 to 3 times when transmitting data.

STC CEO Jameel Al Molhem announced that the Company is continuing its pioneering role and its continuous quest in providing the most distinctive and latest services that are in par with international standards. And today, the Company is introducing the latest in LTE 4th Generation technology which is the revolution in information technology providing a quantum leap in data transfer speeds wherever the customer is reaching more than 100 mb/s.

Al Molhem added that STC was the first to launch the 3rd generation high speed network for the first time in the region in 2006 and was the first to upgrade its network to HSPA technology making it's the first operator in the region to introduce this technology at unprecedented speeds in order to meet the increasing demands for QuickNet services. This allows customers to enjoy new internet speeds that reach 42 Mbps for uploading data in locations that are covered with the new speeds. He also explained that the Company will cover 400 locations during the first phase of the launch.

The Company takes pride in owning a robust infrastructure that is the largest and most powerful across the region in addition to being one of the leaders in fiber optics, marine cables and is the main contributor in all marine cable networks that link South East Asia with Western Europe and North America passing through the Middle East. In addition to that, STC owns a network and infrastructure of wireless networks including the 3G network in addition to the new LTE network. This ultimately helps meets customer demands for internet connectivity and international gateways, reinforcing the Company's continuous marketing leadership among competitors in broadband services.

STC designed its network to conform with the market growth as the Company maintained its market leadership to introduce the latest network technologies taking into consideration the increasing demand for broadband internet services by covering all cities and important areas with 3G technology. STC is serving more than 24 million customers across the Kingdom and supports this initiative with a series of products and services that meet market needs.

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