Zain KSA said that full commercial launch is planned for the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah by the last quarter of this year
In sum – what to know:
5G-SA launch on 600 MHz band – Zain KSA begins deploying 5G Standalone using low-band spectrum, starting with Riyadh and Jeddah, to improve nationwide coverage and service quality.
Advanced 5G capabilities enabled – The rollout supports next-gen features like Voice over New Radio (VoNR), RedCap device compatibility and network slicing for both business and consumer use.
Alignment with Vision 2030 Goals – By expanding reliable digital infrastructure, Zain KSA contributes to Saudi Arabia’s broader digital transformation and national innovation strategy.
Saudi telco Zain KSA has begun the initial phase of its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network using the 600 MHz low-band spectrum.
The full commercial launch is planned for the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah by the last quarter of 2025, with further expansion across major and secondary cities, as well as key roadways, in a future phase.
The 600 MHzspectrum band will allow the Arab carrier to expand its current 5G coverage more widely, particularly in areas of the country where higher-frequency signals face limitations.
Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al Nujaidi, Zain KSA’s chief technology officer, said: “Activating our 5G SA network on the low-band spectrum marks a major leap forward for Saudi Arabia’s digital ambitions. This deployment significantly extends our 5G coverage, ensuring our customers enjoy uninterrupted, high-performance connectivity.”
This rollout of 5G SA technology by the Saudi operator is expected to improve its service reliability and indoor coverage. It will also support next-generation services such as Voice over New Radio (VoNR), RedCap devices as well as network slicing.
The new deployment in the 5G field will also enable the provision of services like HD video calling, cloud applications and mobile gaming.
In November 2024, Zain KSA had announced the acquisition of new spectrum in the 600 MHz band with the aim of boosting its 5G SA services in the country. The band had been awarded by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia.
The Arab telco noted that the 600 MHz spectrum enables more comprehensive coverage across cities, villages, remote areas and highways across Saudi Arabia, thereby expanding service reach, improving quality and increasing the capacity of its 5G network.
In May 2024, Zain KSA had announced plans to invest nearly $430 million to expand its 5G network and digital services ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. The operator said it was considering expanding its current 5G network coverage to 122 cities across the country.
At that time, the telco’s plan stipulated the expansion of its 5G network sites in the country to more than 7,000, covering over 66% of Saudi Arabia’s populated area. The operator also said that nearly 45% of the new expansion plan was expected to support 5G-A technologies.
Zain KSA’s Engineering Executive General Manager Mohammed Abdulazis AlNujaidi previously said that the telco aims to accelerate the deployment of (5G-A) services from 2024.
The telco initially launched 5G-A services in 2023 in the capital of Riyadh, with the aim of offering differentiated FWA 2.0 services, the executive had said during a presentation at MWC 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. He added that the carrier’s plans for 2024-2026 include the commercial launch of 5G-A services in Saudi Arabia’s top eight cities, while its 2027-2030 plans include the second phase of its 5G-A program, in which the country’s main 18 cities will be covered with 5G-A technology.
