based company Mobiserve Holding to deploy the Kingdom's first long-term evolution (LTE)-WiMAX mobile network project. Once implemented, the fourth generation (4G) network will provide Etisalat subsidiary Mobily's estimated 5 million customers with data speeds of about double that of current third generation (3G) networks – providing greater clarity and delivery of data rich broadband applications such as mobile TV, video-on-demand and mobile access to social media. Via the Mobily 3lhawa portal, subscribers can already watch either video-on-demand or live mobile TV on 3G, from an array of channels including MBC, CNBC Arabiya, Al Arabiya, CNN, Melody Movies, Saudi TV, the Indian channel Zoom, and TFC from the Philippines. Saudi Arabia was estimated by Research and Markets to have over 52 million mobile customers at the end of 2010, with a penetration rate of over 200 percent. "Saudi Arabia is setting the benchmark for next generation connectivity with forward looking operators such as Mobily beginning to implement the highest speed networks beyond 3G," said Sameh Atalla, CEO of Mobiserve. "As a result, the country's first LTE-WiMAX 4G network will certainly make a significant impact on Mobily users' connectivity experience." Mobiserve will provide survey, design hardware and radio frequency installation and commissioning services for Mobily's 4G mobile network, in conjunction with vendors Samsung and Huawei. Since its launch in 1999, Mobiserve has been involved in multiple network rollouts across the Middle East and Africa - including du in the UAE, Zain in Saudi Arabia, Mobinil, Etisalat and Vodafone in Egypt, Tunisiana and Orange-Tunisie in Tunisia, and Djezzy and Nedjma in Algeria.
