RIYADH – Saudi Telecom Company (STC) introduced through its "Ma3com" portal a new Ramadan themed section on its "Dini Yaqini" channel. The telecom giant introduced the channel as a religious platform that enhances other channels in the portal and offers rich Islamic content. One of the services offered in the channel is a daily contest in which a religiously themed question will be asked and 3 winners will be selected. Prizes include "Mesk" Quran reader devices. Other Islamic themed applications will be introduced in the channel as well, such as "Sawt Al Noor", "Emaniiat", "tabara3", and "Dini Yaqini." "Sawt Al Noor" application was introduced in collaboration with the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran. The application allows its users to learn different aspects of the Quran, such as proper reading and pronunciation. Users can compare their pronunciation with those of the most distinguished Quran readers in the Muslim world. Users can also communicate with other users of the application, share advice, and compare their abilities to theirs. Moreover, the application contains all 114 chapters of the Quran in high quality. The application is available in Arabic, English, French, and Urdu. It is also available for all smart phones and on the web. The application can be downloaded by sending an empty SMS to #804050. "Emaniiat" application enables its users to watch recitations and psalms by several sheikhs and singers. The application also includes a lot more information that deal with Islam and the Quran, including a full guidebook on fasting, Haj and Umrah (pilgrimage). The application can be downloaded by sending an empty SMS to #5665. On the other hand, STC contributed to the development of the "tabara3"donations application, making it the biggest of its kind in the world. Through this application, users are able to donate to numerous charitable organizations that operate in different fields. The application can be downloaded by sending a free empty SMS to #801180; users then receive a message including the link to the application platform, which then gives the users a choice of downloading any number of applications for the desired charitable organization, and they can do so by sending an SMS containing "100" to #5000. The "Dini Yaqini" application offers its users the choice of reading and completing the Quran. In addition, it offers many supplications and "dhikr." It also offers a feature that reminds users of prayers times in and out of the kingdom, and provides direction to the Qiblah depending on where the user is located. Moreover, users receive the latest news and developments in the Muslim world, and a live feed for Quran recitation from the holy city of Makkah. The application can be downloaded by sending a free, empty SMS to #5000. – SG
