By Emeka Aginam
Alcatel-Lucent has disclosed  that  Zain Saudi Arabia , a leading mobile operator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has selected its  IP/MPLS-based mobile backhaul solution to respond to the sharp increase in bandwidth requirements thereby keeping  pace with subscribers’ demands.

As part of the Alcatel-Lucent’s High Leverage Network architecture, the solution will offer  Zain an increased capacity at lower cost while providing the necessary service reliability and quality of experience that subscribers expect.

The solution, according to Alcatel  is expected to  strengthen the ability of Zain KSA to offer its customers the best possible quality of experience and also prepare its network infrastructure to immediately launch next generation communication and data services.

The company’s  IP portfolio will make it possible for Zain KSA to deliver scalable, evolvable, cost-efficient and fully managed IP-based transport able to adapt to the expected increase in core traffic for years to come and to the advances brought about by the introduction of fourth-generation mobile technology.

“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,”   Dr. Saad Al Barrak Zain KSA CEO & Managing Director, said, adding that, “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.”

For Amr El Leithy, Head of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in the Middle East and Africa , through Alcatel-Lucent IP/MPLS mobile backhaul solution, Zain  KSA will dramatically simplify operations, reduce operating expenditures, as well as offer its customers the highest quality and most advanced wireless IP services.

“Our industry-leading mobile backhaul solution, which has helped service providers worldwide transform their networks to all-IP, will enable Zain KSA to economically and efficiently upgrade its infrastructure”, he said.

The Alcatel-Lucent solution offers a converged, scalable, multi-access and all-IP network allowing dynamic service creation and delivery at the lowest cost per bit while enabling broadband accessibility to all Zain KSA subscribers, delivering service innovation, streamlining network operations and generating new revenues for the operator.  also require dramatic increases in network coverage and service availability to meet demand in the Kingdom.

The Alcatel-Lucent IP portfolio will make it possible for Zain KSA to deliver scalable, evolvable, cost-efficient and fully managed IP-based transport able to adapt to the expected increase in core traffic for years to come and to the advances brought about by the introduction of fourth-generation mobile technology.

Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East providing mobile voice and data services to over 37.6 million active customers as of 31 March 2011. With a commercial presence in 7 countries, Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

In Lebanon, the company manages ‘mtc-touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now branded ‘INWI’, through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (stock ticker: ZAIN). For more info, please visit http://www.zain.com/

Alcatel-Lucent is a leader in mobile, fixed, IP and Optics technologies, and a pioneer in applications and services.
Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs, one of the world’s foremost centres of research and innovation in communications technology.