The Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) is one of the 20 biggest telecom services operators in the world and ranks third in the list of Saudi Arabia’s top 100 companies. The firm was partially privatized in 2002. Profits in the first quarter of 2005 were 20% higher than the same period in 2004.

In its mission to provide the kingdom with a modern telecom infrastructure, STC has extended 15,500 miles of fiber optic cable and built more than 5,000 base stations for GSM. The company has more than 3.7 million landline and around 10 million cellphone subscribers.

Aware of the high demand for the latest technological advances, President of STC Khalid Abdullah Al-Molhem has bid for, and won, a new 3G cellular license. The company is expected to start providing services to the public within the next year.