Nokia expands Mobily partnership with enterprise IoT network in Saudi Arabia

Nokia announced the completion of a narrowband ‘Internet of Things’ (NB-IoT) network deployment in L 800 band as part of its strategic partnership with Mobily. As a result of this deployment, Mobily and Nokia have connected more than 4,000 sites and facilitated NB-IoT cell radius coverage averaging 20 km per cell, which is much wider than normal LTE cells. The completion of the project increases Mobily’s digitalization by offering new NB-IoT services to better serve its enterprise customers.

As part of the project, Mobily’s existing LTE base stations have been upgraded to enable NB-IoT in all Nokia footprints – Central, North and East of Saudi Arabia without additional hardware but with a simple software update. Nokia’s LTE solution will help Mobily enterprise customers to enhance their operational efficiency and deliver improved customer experience through IoT connectivity for enterprises in verticals such as energy, transport and health.

Nokia’s NB-IoT technology solution meets the dynamic demands of connected devices. By utilizing Nokia’s cutting-edge NB-IoT business platform, Mobily’s enterprise customers can deploy IoT devices on Nokia’s network without the need to manually configure the devices or switch networks. The platform also enables wider coverage indoors and outdoors, ideal for rural and deep indoor locations because it allows the signal to reach further inside buildings to connect sensors and devices and transmit information. It also provides enhanced machine-to-machine communication as it supports more connections and lowers power consumption.

Alaa Malki, CTO at Mobily, said, “The partnership reinforces a robust IoT infrastructure and network, allowing enterprises to accelerate the expansion of their IoT footprint. As our long-standing partner, we are excited to strengthen the cooperation with Nokia and empower enterprises to harness the power of IoT through excellent connectivity.”

Tareq Khalaf, customer Team Head of Mobily, at Nokia, said, “We are proud to be working with Mobily to meet the needs of modern enterprises by enabling a wide range of commercial uses such as smart metering for utilities, powering connected health and industrial appliances, and smart city infrastructure. Our latest NB-IoT technology will allow Mobily’s customers to utilize IoT services regardless of their location, area, or region.”