STC sees Red with WiMax deployment

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is deploying a WiMax network throughout Saudi Arabia, it said last week.

The state-owned operator said it has teamed up with Canadian vendor Redline Communications for the deployment and has already installed its RedMax products in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

"STC is bringing broadband communications in Saudi Arabia to a new level. Our WiMax network will help us to deliver much-needed broadband access to IP-VPN in every city and community in the country," said Saud Bin Majid Al-Daweesh, president of STC, in a statement. "With the RedMax installation now well underway, STC is one of the first carriers to introduce WiMax forum-certified products and services to its customers."

The WiMax deployment should give Saudi Arabia's internet penetration a significant boost. The country currently has one of the lowest levels of broadband penetration in the GCC, according to analyst firm Madar Research.

STC is Redline's second major win in the region in as many months, having won a similar contract to supply RedMax products to Iraqtel at the end of last year.

"We are pleased to have been chosen as a technology provider to STC," Majed Sifri, president and CEO of Redline Communications, said. "By choosing RedMax, STC is deploying the most advanced and proven WiMax solution."

Redline's WiMax products use time division duplexing (TDD), which the vendor said ensured a high degree of spectral efficiency even in dense urban environments, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which it said enabled it to overcome line-of-sight barriers in urban areas.

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