"We have an important opportunity to develop the network of the future, offering our customers connectivity through an industry-first combined cellular and satellite non-terrestrial network," said Khaled Ibrahim Aldharrab, vice president of technology strategy and architecture at stc.
"We're pleased to announce this collaboration with Omnispace that will not only provide stc with a competitive edge, but also offer our subscribers the communications infrastructure of the future. We look forward to working together to extend our mobile roaming in even the remotest of regions."
Under the terms of the MoU, stc will use the Omnispace 3GPP-compliant non-terrestrial network, delivering cost-effective global connectivity beyond mobile land-based networks.
The project will expand stc's coverage areas to include underserved regions, offering its customers seamless, direct-to-device, 5G mobile communications connectivity across Saudi Arabia.
"Omnispace is excited to collaborate with stc on the development of an industry-first seamless, best-in-class voice and mobile system that will combine our non-terrestrial system with stc's terrestrial network," said Jay Yass, chief corporate development and strategy officer at Omnispace.
"We look forward to working with stc to develop the infrastructure of the future, paving the way for greater connectivity, reach and 5G network availability for its subscriber base across the Kingdom."
In addition, stc customers across various industry verticals, including automotive, agricultural, industrial, finance, government, oil and gas, IoT, along with consumer devices and applications, will benefit from ubiquitous voice and data mobile connectivity across the region.
In related news, earlier this month stc Group has inked a long-term strategic partnership with Blacknut to deploy its B2B/B2B2C cloud gaming solution across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
