Zain KSA Backhauls With AlcaLuZain KSA Backhauls With AlcaLu

PARIS -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA), a leading mobile operator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has selected Alcatel-Lucent’s IP/MPLS-based mobile backhaul solution to respond to the sharp increase in bandwidth requirements, and to keep pace with subscribers’ demands.

Saudi Arabia is widely recognized as the largest telecommunications market in the Middle East region, with growth in this sector currently estimated at about 30 percent per annum. A recent report by the Riyadh-based Economics Studies House, commissioned by the MTN Group, showed that the penetration rate of mobile phones in Saudi Arabia could grow from the current 32 percent to 60 percent by 2014, with over 20 million subscribers. The report noted that this would not only require a rapid rollout of capacity to service almost 13 million new lines over the coming nine years, but would also require dramatic increases in network coverage and service availability to meet demand in the Kingdom.

“Zain KSA looks forward to working with Alcatel-Lucent on this important network evolution project designed not only to improve the customer experience with a reliable and stable network, but also to take our customers to the next level of mobility and beyond,” said Dr. Saad Al Barrak Zain KSA CEO & Managing Director. “Through our competitive vendor selection process, Alcatel-Lucent demonstrated that they are ready to deliver innovative, cost-effective, state-of-the art technology and deliver financial value to Zain KSA.”

Zain KSA (Zain Saudi Arabia)