STC Bahrain, previously known as VIVA Bahrain, is a telecommunications company established in Bahrain. The company was founded in 2009 when the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Bahrain (TRA) awarded the third mobile network operating license to the Saudi Telecom Company (STC Group). The license was acquired through a bid worth BD 86.7 Million (US$231 Million). STC Bahrain commenced its commercial operations in March 2010, operating under the name VIVA Bahrain. In December 2019, the company reverted to its original name, STC Bahrain. The company's headquarters are located in Manama, Bahrain, and it remains a subsidiary of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC Group).
3G Network
The company operated a 2G GSM service over 900 and 1800 MHz, and 3G services on B1 (2100 MHz) since March 2010. Through its HSPA+ network upgrade in May 2011 and DC-HSPA+ in November 2011, STC Bahrain became the first operator in Bahrain to provide speeds of up to 42 Mbps to its broadband subscribers. The network was shut down Q3 2023.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
|
Shut Down
|
3G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 3G Network
|
Launch
|
|
|
Shutdown of 3G Network
|
Shut Down
|
4G Network
The company, then VIVA, showcased its 4G LTE network in January 2012, officially launching 4G LTE services to customers in January 2014 over the B3 (1800 MHz) band. The company achieved a world first when in 2016 it partnered with Huawei to deploy triple-beam nine sector antenna solution to provide between 2.2 to 2.7 times the capacity in comparison to a standard cell site. In May 2016 peak data rates were increased from 100 to 150 Mbps through extending channel width to 20 MHz.
The company made another first for Bahrain when in July 2017 it launched LTE-A services marketed as 4G+ and offering up to 225 Mbps peak data rates through the introduction of a 10 MHz B20 carrier.
The network was upgraded with the addition of B1 and B41, although its usage of B41 was short lived, with the valuable spectrum being refarmed to 5G.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status | Known EARFCNs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
5
|
Active
|
500
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
1600
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
6200
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
40490
|
4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 4G Network
|
Launch
|
5G Network
The company conducted a live network test in June 2018, achieving 1.5 Gbps. STC announced its network was 5G-ready in February 2019, the first Bahraini operator to do so. The network was commercially launched June 2019 using n78 (3500 MHz) mid-band. The network was enhanced in May 2022 with the transition to a Standalone (SA) network.
STC's 4G B41 carrier appears to have been refarmed to n41 (2500 MHz) 5G with a 40 MHz bandwidth, although this requires confirmation.
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
40
|
Active
|
|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 5G Network
|
Launch
|