‎Saudi telecom networks undergo transformation: Opensignal

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‎ Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in mobile data download speeds among countries with large geographical areas: Opensignal Opensignal said the competitive landscape of Saudi Arabia’s telecom sector has undergone a notable transformation at the network level, with its effects gradually reflected in the commercial performance of networks and service providers. It noted that telecom network quality does not necessarily translate into a higher market share. In a statement to Argaam, the company said Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in mobile data download speeds among countries with large geographical areas, according to its Q2 2026 Global Network Excellence Index report. It said the result reflects nearly 10 years of collaboration and integrated spectrum policies, alongside continued investments by the three service providers in network infrastructure. At the operator level, Opensignal’s Mobile Network Experience report, issued in February 2026, showed that market leadership is divided between stc and Mobily across different metrics. stc leads in speed and coverage, while Mobily ranks first in reliability and consistent quality performance. Zain KSA, meanwhile, ranked third in network quality experience metrics, while continuing to invest in 5G networks and acquire spectrum. Opensignal said it will monitor the impact of these investments on user experience in its upcoming reports. Opensignal stressed that network quality alone does not necessarily lead to a higher market share. Its subscriber analytics track customer migration and market-share distribution across cities, helping explain the divergence between network quality and market share. The company expects 5G network metrics, such as performance consistency, responsiveness, and availability, to gain greater competitive importance in H2 2026, beyond the traditional focus on overall download speeds. More than $1.5 billion invested in 5G spectrum Opensignal highlighted investments made by Saudi telecom companies since 2019, including more than $1.5 billion to acquire the spectrum required to provide 5G services. These investments have contributed to improving network quality, but have not translated into market-share gains at the same pace. The company said these investments have led to a notable improvement in coverage and service quality, as reflected in its 2025 Global Network Excellence Index and 2026 Mobile Network Experience reports. According to the report, stc had the largest market share among mobile telecom service providers at 49%, followed by Mobily at 23.8% and Zain KSA at 14.6%. Saudi Mobile Operators’ Market Shares Company Market share stc 49.0% Mobily 23.8% Zain KSA 14.6% Virgin Mobile 6.2% Lebara 4.8% Salam 0.8% Red Bull Mobile 0.8% Opensignal noted that MVNOs collectively account for nearly 12% of the market, meaning they are no longer a marginal segment. It explained that there is a clear divergence between service quality and market share among Saudi service providers. Its subscriber analytics show that the cities where each operator leads in service quality are generally not the same cities where it leads in market share. The company said market shares across the nine cities covered by the report vary significantly from each operator’s national average. In some cities, an operator’s share exceeds its national level, while in others it falls below it. This variation is not random, and it is the starting point for any serious discussion of customer acquisition and retention strategies. stc holds a 49% market share Opensignal said stc, which has the largest national market share among the three major operators, sees its market share vary across cities. It said stc led in service quality in Madinah and Dammam in Q2 2026, but its market share in both cities was below its national average, indicating an opportunity to convert its technical advantage into greater commercial gains. In contrast, the company maintains strong market shares in Abha, Khamis Mushait, and Hail despite not leading the service-quality index in these cities, reflecting the impact of its historical presence, brand strength, and established customer base. Mobily leads in quality across seven cities Opensignal said Mobily recorded the strongest position among the three operators in the service-quality index during Q2, leading in seven of the nine cities covered by the analysis: Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Abha, Hail, Al Hofuf, and Khamis Mushait. It added that this advantage translated into a clear commercial benefit only in Jeddah and Makkah, where Mobily’s market share was above its national average while it also led in service quality. Riyadh represents the company’s biggest opportunity, as Mobily leads in service quality in the capital, but its market share remains below its national average. This suggests that the challenge is no longer related to network quality, but rather to pricing, distribution, customer acquisition, and converting its technical advantage into subscriber growth. Zain KSA maintains its market share despite lagging quality metrics Opensignal said Zain KSA did not lead the service-quality index in any of the nine cities covered by the analysis and ranked below the top-performing operator in all cities. Nevertheless, the company’s market share was above its national average in Makkah and Madinah despite not leading in quality metrics, supported by pricing, distribution, and its established market presence. Opensignal noted that such market shares could come under pressure as MVNOs expand and secondary SIM usage becomes more widespread, particularly among price-sensitive customers. Multiple SIM usage changes the way market share is viewed The company said relying solely on the number of active SIM cards may not accurately reflect an operator’s actual share of usage and revenue, given the widespread use of multiple SIM cards by individual subscribers. It added that multiple-SIM usage stands at around 17% among stc customers, rising to 27% for Mobily and nearly 37% for Zain KSA. The company explained that multiple-SIM usage tends to increase as network quality declines, as subscribers retain an additional SIM to compensate for gaps in coverage or service quality. A subscriber may, therefore, remain counted in an operator’s customer base while directing most of their data consumption to another network, making the operator’s actual usage and revenue share lower than suggested by the number of registered SIM cards. 7.4 million subscribers with MVNOs Opensignal confirmed that MVNOs are no longer a marginal segment of the Saudi telecom market, with their subscriber base reaching around 7.4 million in early 2026 (equivalent to approximately 12% of the total market). It said Virgin Mobile KSA and Lebara are among the largest MVNOs by subscriber numbers, while these companies have expanded their offerings to target specific customer segments, including digital packages, eSIM services, international calls, and remittance services. The growth of these companies gives customers more options, but also increases competition for traditional operators’ customers, particularly in the prepaid segment and among price-sensitive users. Opensignal noted that when a customer switches from a traditional operator to an MVNO hosted on its network, the operator does not necessarily lose the revenue entirely. However, the relationship may shift from direct retail revenue to wholesale revenue with lower margins. Quality has become a basic requirement rather than a differentiator Opensignal said network quality has become a basic requirement for competition in major cities and is no longer sufficient on its own to acquire or retain customers. It added that operators best positioned to increase their market shares in the coming period will be those that link network investment decisions with city-level commercial strategies, rather than relying solely on national performance averages. The company noted that leading in network quality without corresponding market-share growth represents an untapped commercial opportunity, while maintaining market share despite weaker quality represents a risk that may gradually emerge through migration of usage to secondary SIMs and MVNOs before appearing in subscriber numbers. Opensignal confirmed that 5G performance consistency, responsiveness, and network availability will gain greater competitive importance in H2 2026 compared with the traditional focus on download speeds alone.

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‎ Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in mobile data download speeds among countries with large geographical areas: Opensignal Opensignal said the competitive landscape of Saudi Arabia’s telecom sector has undergone a notable transformation at the network level, with its effects gradually reflected in the commercial performance of networks and service providers. It noted that telecom network quality does not necessarily translate into a higher market share. In a statement to Argaam, the company said Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in mobile data download speeds among countries with large geographical areas, according to its Q2 2026 Global Network Excellence Index report. It said the result reflects nearly 10 years of collaboration and integrated spectrum policies, alongside continued investments by the three service providers in network infrastructure. At the operator level, Opensignal’s Mobile Network Experience report, issued in February 2026, showed that market leadership is divided between stc and Mobily across different metrics. stc leads in speed and coverage, while Mobily ranks first in reliability and consistent quality performance. Zain KSA, meanwhile, ranked third in network quality experience metrics, while continuing to invest in 5G networks and acquire spectrum. Opensignal said it will monitor the impact of these investments on user experience in its upcoming reports. Opensignal stressed that network quality alone does not necessarily lead to a higher market share. Its subscriber analytics track customer migration and market-share distribution across cities, helping explain the divergence between network quality and market share. The company expects 5G network metrics, such as performance consistency, responsiveness, and availability, to gain greater competitive importance in H2 2026, beyond the traditional focus on overall download speeds. More than $1.5 billion invested in 5G spectrum Opensignal highlighted investments made by Saudi telecom companies since 2019, including more than $1.5 billion to acquire the spectrum required to provide 5G services. These investments have contributed to improving network quality, but have not translated into market-share gains at the same pace. The company said these investments have led to a notable improvement in coverage and service quality, as reflected in its 2025 Global Network Excellence Index and 2026 Mobile Network Experience reports. According to the report, stc had the largest market share among mobile telecom service providers at 49%, followed by Mobily at 23.8% and Zain KSA at 14.6%. Saudi Mobile Operators’ Market Shares Company Market share stc 49.0% Mobily 23.8% Zain KSA 14.6% Virgin Mobile 6.2% Lebara 4.8% Salam 0.8% Red Bull Mobile 0.8% Opensignal noted that MVNOs collectively account for nearly 12% of the market, meaning they are no longer a marginal segment. It explained that there is a clear divergence between service quality and market share among Saudi service providers. Its subscriber analytics show that the cities where each operator leads in service quality are generally not the same cities where it leads in market share. The company said market shares across the nine cities covered by the report vary significantly from each operator’s national average. In some cities, an operator’s share exceeds its national level, while in others it falls below it. This variation is not random, and it is the starting point for any serious discussion of customer acquisition and retention strategies. stc holds a 49% market share Opensignal said stc, which has the largest national market share among the three major operators, sees its market share vary across cities. It said stc led in service quality in Madinah and Dammam in Q2 2026, but its market share in both cities was below its national average, indicating an opportunity to convert its technical advantage into greater commercial gains. In contrast, the company maintains strong market shares in Abha, Khamis Mushait, and Hail despite not leading the service-quality index in these cities, reflecting the impact of its historical presence, brand strength, and established customer base. Mobily leads in quality across seven cities Opensignal said Mobily recorded the strongest position among the three operators in the service-quality index during Q2, leading in seven of the nine cities covered by the analysis: Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Abha, Hail, Al Hofuf, and Khamis Mushait. It added that this advantage translated into a clear commercial benefit only in Jeddah and Makkah, where Mobily’s market share was above its national average while it also led in service quality. Riyadh represents the company’s biggest opportunity, as Mobily leads in service quality in the capital, but its market share remains below its national average. This suggests that the challenge is no longer related to network quality, but rather to pricing, distribution, customer acquisition, and converting its technical advantage into subscriber growth. Zain KSA maintains its market share despite lagging quality metrics Opensignal said Zain KSA did not lead the service-quality index in any of the nine cities covered by the analysis and ranked below the top-performing operator in all cities. Nevertheless, the company’s market share was above its national average in Makkah and Madinah despite not leading in quality metrics, supported by pricing, distribution, and its established market presence. Opensignal noted that such market shares could come under pressure as MVNOs expand and secondary SIM usage becomes more widespread, particularly among price-sensitive customers. Multiple SIM usage changes the way market share is viewed The company said relying solely on the number of active SIM cards may not accurately reflect an operator’s actual share of usage and revenue, given the widespread use of multiple SIM cards by individual subscribers. It added that multiple-SIM usage stands at around 17% among stc customers, rising to 27% for Mobily and nearly 37% for Zain KSA. The company explained that multiple-SIM usage tends to increase as network quality declines, as subscribers retain an additional SIM to compensate for gaps in coverage or service quality. A subscriber may, therefore, remain counted in an operator’s customer base while directing most of their data consumption to another network, making the operator’s actual usage and revenue share lower than suggested by the number of registered SIM cards. 7.4 million subscribers with MVNOs Opensignal confirmed that MVNOs are no longer a marginal segment of the Saudi telecom market, with their subscriber base reaching around 7.4 million in early 2026 (equivalent to approximately 12% of the total market). It said Virgin Mobile KSA and Lebara are among the largest MVNOs by subscriber numbers, while these companies have expanded their offerings to target specific customer segments, including digital packages, eSIM services, international calls, and remittance services. The growth of these companies gives customers more options, but also increases competition for traditional operators’ customers, particularly in the prepaid segment and among price-sensitive users. Opensignal noted that when a customer switches from a traditional operator to an MVNO hosted on its network, the operator does not necessarily lose the revenue entirely. However, the relationship may shift from direct retail revenue to wholesale revenue with lower margins. Quality has become a basic requirement rather than a differentiator Opensignal said network quality has become a basic requirement for competition in major cities and is no longer sufficient on its own to acquire or retain customers. It added that operators best positioned to increase their market shares in the coming period will be those that link network investment decisions with city-level commercial strategies, rather than relying solely on national performance averages. The company noted that leading in network quality without corresponding market-share growth represents an untapped commercial opportunity, while maintaining market share despite weaker quality represents a risk that may gradually emerge through migration of usage to secondary SIMs and MVNOs before appearing in subscriber numbers. Opensignal confirmed that 5G performance consistency, responsiveness, and network availability will gain greater competitive importance in H2 2026 compared with the traditional focus on download speeds alone.