RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (March 6): Hong Kong-listed Chinese internet behemoth Tencent Holdings Ltd and Saudi Arabian telecommunications giant Etihad Etisalat Company have jointly launched the 'Go Saudi' programme, as they aim to revolutionise the digital landscape of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as it grows into a global business and entertainment hub.
Etihad Etisalat is a Saudi telecommunications services company that offers fixed line, mobile telephony and internet services under the brand name Mobily, which was launched commercially in May 2005. It has one of the largest wireless networks by coverage in Saudi Arabia as well as the region, and one of the widest fibre-to-the-home networks, in addition to one of the largest data centre systems worldwide.
The strategic collaboration between Mobily and Tencent Cloud comes at a time when the kingdom is pushing for a broad-based digital economic transformation, which is in line with its Vision 2030 strategy.
Notably, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has set a target to increase foreign direct investment’s contribution to gross domestic product from 3.8% to 5.7%, and for the KSA to become one of the top 10 economies of the world.
“As one of the largest telcos by wireless network coverage in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Mobily's partnership with Tencent Cloud allows it to strategically diversify its enterprise business solutions, tapping on new technologies ranging from artificial intelligence, cloud, big data and immersive convergence, to capture new opportunities in the technology, media, and telecommunications sector and beyond,” said Tencent in a statement on Wednesday.
The Go Saudi programme – which was announced and went live on Wednesday at the KSA's flagship LEAP 2024 tech event – will take shape on several levels.
Firstly, it provides a newly revolutionised enterprise cloud platform, built and powered by Tencent Cloud Enterprise (TCE), to provide integrated information technology services, including computing, database, network, storage, security, and other underlying digital fundamentals.
Secondly, in leveraging the TCE platform, Mobily will explore Tencent Cloud Mini Program Platform capabilities, to offer integrated daily live services to connect subscribers and internet users with enterprises and business communities, all within a single digital ecosystem.
Tencent senior executive vice-president Dowson Tong said Tencent Cloud's global ecosystem now has 11,000-strong partners, who are jointly serving clients worldwide, and has been a key driving force for the cloud unit’s international business.
The Go Saudi programme can similarly be a catalyst for the creation of an equally dynamic digital ecosystem in the KSA, he said.
Tong, who is also the chief executive officer of Cloud and Smart Industries Group, said the revamped enterprise cloud platform will give Mobily powerful new capabilities to grow its enterprise business across a much broader demographic of public- and private-sector customers.
"With more than 20 years of experience serving over a billion internet users with digital content, social communications, and gaming-related products and services, Tencent Cloud is confident in our know-how and expertise to support the development and operation of the global business, entertainment, and media hub that is envisaged for Saudi Arabia. We look forward to supporting the KSA's aspirations to become a preferred launchpad for global enterprises in the region,” he said.
Tong added that Tencent’s partnership with Mobily is the group’s first collaboration in Saudi Arabia, which is anticipated to “foster an invaluable exchange of knowledge and innovation”, while concurrently supporting the expansion of global and Chinese enterprises expanding into Saudi Arabia.
“We continue to seek more opportunities to support Saudi enterprises in their globalisation efforts, promoting their businesses and offerings, by leveraging Tencent's digital ecosystem,” he said.
Mobily CEO Salman Abdulaziz Al Badran said the Saudi firm’s collaboration with Tencent Cloud enables the group to scale its enterprise business further, as well as to play a much more active role in raising the KSA’s profile as the preferred hub for global businesses expanding into the region.
Tencent was in Saudi Arabia for its inaugural appearance on the LEAP 2024, the third edition of the annual flagship event of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia that is recognised as the world’s most attended tech conference.
The Shenzhen-based Tencent operates Weixin — a widely used messaging and payment app in China — and its sister app, WeChat — designed for overseas users.
Through its extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and network security.