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  • Saudi crown prince holds telephone call with UAE president

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman phoned the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday. During the call, the two leaders reviewed relations between their countries and areas of existing cooperation and opportunities for developing them, Saudi Press Agency reported. Prince Mohammed and Sheikh Mohamed also discussed the latest regional and international developments and efforts made toward them to achieve security and stability.

  • Saudi Telecom Company signs $9bn deal to build telecom infrastructure

    Saudi Telecom Company, the kingdom's biggest mobile operator, has signed a contract worth Saudi riyals 32.64 billion ($8.7 billion) with a government entity to build, operate and provide telecoms infrastructure services. STC, which offers digital products and services across the Middle East and North Africa region, did not disclose the name of the government entity. The agreement includes an 18-month preparation and execution phase, followed by a 15-year operational period for the project, STC said in a statement on Tadawul, where its shares are traded. STC shares rose more than 2.24 per cent on Tuesday after the announcement as this deal marks a significant step in enhancing the kingdom's telecom infrastructure.

  • China-US tech tensions threaten GCC telecom strategy

    Gulf countries risk being dragged into the great power “rivalry” between China and the United States when it comes to advanced technology, forcing them to pick a side. As high-tech restrictions are rolled out by Beijing and Washington, the days of buying state-of-the-art semiconductors from the US while installing China’s 5G networks might be over, according to industry insiders. Mohammed Soliman, director for strategic technologies and cybersecurity at the Middle East Institute, says GCC countries have so far managed to strike a balance between exploiting Chinese technology and maintaining strong ties with the US. However, the intensifying US-China rivalry will make accessing both tech ecosystems increasingly difficult, impacting supply chains, intellectual property and talent flows,” Soliman warns.

  • China Telecom Global launches operations in Saudi Arabia

    China Telecom Global has officially kicked off operations in Saudi Arabia with the launch of new subsidiary China Telecom Gulf, which has already secured its first cooperation agreements with local telcos STC and state-owned BTC Networks. China Telecom Gulf said it will leverage its experience with 5G, cloud computing, AI, and other fields to provide digital products and services to Saudi enterprises, institutions, and consumers. The telco also said it will work closely with Saudi government departments, enterprises, and partners to develop local digital infrastructure.

  • Saudi Arabia Ranks 2nd among G20 Countries in UN Telecommunication Infrastructure Index

    Saudi Arabia secured the second position among Group of Twenty (G20) countries in the United Nations Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), showcasing notable advancements in the Kingdom's digital infrastructure and the efficacy of governmental efforts to bolster e-government. The TII assesses the progress of digital telecommunications infrastructure development globally and serves as a key component of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI).

  • How Telegram became the ‘center of gravity’ for a new breed of domestic terrorists

    Late last month, Telegram burst into the news with another arrest related to alleged criminal activity on the giant messaging and social media platform. This time, the man in police custody was the company’s founder, Pavel Durov. French authorities detained the Russian-born billionaire after his plane touched down at an airport a few miles north of Paris.

  • Saudi Telecom Jumps Most Since 2008 After Dividend Boost

    Shares in Saudi Arabia’s top telecom company rose the most in almost 16 years after the company announced plans to boost quarterly dividends and said it may consider handing over more money to investors via special payments. Saudi Telecom Co. jumped 9.9% on the Saudi stock exchange on Sunday to 43.70 riyals ($11.65) a share, its biggest move on a closing basis since October 2008.

  • Grid Telecom to build Greece to Saudi cable system

    Grid Telecom and Dawiyat Integrated will collaborate to build a new high-capacity system that will connect Greece with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to connect Saudi Arabia to the Island of Crete, extending westwards to major destinations in Europe and eastwards to the entire Arabian Peninsula.

  • Global cyber outage grounds flights, hits banks, telecoms, media

    A software update wreaked havoc on computer systems globally on Friday, grounding flights, forcing some broadcasters off air and hitting services from banking to healthcare. An update to a product offered by global cyberscurity firm CrowdStrike (CRWD.O), opens new tab appeared to be the trigger, affecting customers using Microsoft's (MSFT.O), opens new tab Windows Operating System. Microsoft said later on Friday the issue had been fixed.

  • Saudi Telecom reportedly eyes up Vodafone Portugal

    Vodafone and Saudi Telecom (STC) have both recently failed in Portuguese M&A attempts, so it makes sense that they might now look to hammer out a deal between them. But it seems we're not close to a deal just yet.