Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC), the Middle East’s largest telecom service provider, and SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software, have partnered to leverage STC’s network infrastructure.

Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC), the Middle East’s largest telecom service provider, and SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software, have partnered to leverage STC’s network infrastructure in a move to drive the Kingdom’s knowledge-based economy.

SAP predicts a global $50 billion enterprise mobility potential, offering immense opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors to harness the power of the connected economy through use of network technology.

Saudi Arabia’s cellular sector is particularly strong boasting Middle East’s largest number of mobile subscriptions, 53 million in 2013, according to the kingdom’s Communication and Information Technology Commission.

The country’s smartphone penetration is 73 percent, one of the highest in the world, according to Google’s “Our Mobile Planet” report.

“STC’s leadership in providing state of the art robust network infrastructure has the potential to help realize the vision of knowledge-based economy in the Kingdom. We aim to leverage SAP’s business experience and our world-class data centres to provide top of the line mobility services to our enterprise customers,” said Dr Khaled AlBayari, STC senior vice president of Technology and Operations.

Utilizing the power of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, the project aims to support informed decision making by providing integration and unified reporting across various applications and functions. This results in increasing efficiency, integrating business processes and strengthening internal controls, a statement said.

Ahmed Al Faifi, managing director, SAP Saudi Arabia, said: “STC’s network life cycle management project has enabled the Kingdom to become one of the world’s best-connected countries. By leveraging our global telecommunications expertise, STC now has the visibility into its network to deliver cutting-edge enterprise applications that will drive return on investment (ROI).” – TradeArabia News Service