Zain KSA, officially known as Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia, is a telecommunications and digital services provider in Saudi Arabia. The company was established as a Saudi Joint Stock Company on 12 March 2008, and began commercial operations in August of the same year. Zain KSA entered the market as the third telecom operator in the country, after obtaining the necessary licenses from the Communications and Information Technology Commission (now known as CST). In 2016, Zain KSA's existing 25-year license was extended for an additional 15 years by a High Order from the CST. The company was also granted a unified license in February 2017, allowing them to provide all telecommunication services in the Kingdom, including fixed services.
3G Network
The company has operated 2G GSM over 900 and 1800 MHz bands, and 3G UMTS over B1 (2100 MHz) since August 2008. In 2010 the company launched an additional B8 (900 MHz) 3G service, and upgraded the entire network to HSPA+.
The network was shut down January 2024.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
|
Shut Down
|
|
|
Shut Down
|
3G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 3G Network
|
Launch
|
|
|
Shutdown of 3G Network
|
Shut Down
|
4G Network
4G LTE was commercially activated in September 2011 over B3 (1800 MHz) using refarmed GSM spectrum. The company has since refarmed 2100 MHz spectrum to launch a B1 (2100 MHz) carrier. An LTE-A upgrade increased peak data rates to 150 Mbps by aggregating the two 10 MHz carriers under CA_1A-3A. A 187.5 Mbps 3C CA service was commercially launched in May 2016 combining an additional 5 MHz B8 (900 MHz) carrier using refarmed GSM spectrum.
In partnership with Nokia, Zain conducted a 2.6 GHz TDD-LTE pilot in February 2019 using B38 (2600 MHz), using 64T64R Massive MIMO to deliver peak data rates of 700 Mbps per user. Following the pilot, Zain announced it would begin national deployment of the TDD service.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status | Known EARFCNs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10
|
Active
|
124
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
1650
|
|
|
5
|
Active
|
3510
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
6350
|
4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 4G Network
|
Launch
|
5G Network
Zain launched its 5G network in Saudi Arabia in June 2019 using the n41 (2500 MHz) and n78 (3500 MHz) bands. The network was upgraded to Standalone (SA) in February 2022.
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
70
|
Active
|
|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 5G Network
|
Launch
|