SendTech Times
العربية
Telco & ConnectivityNews|May 31, 2026, 09:13 AM
MARKET SIGNAL:

stc group says Eid Al-Adha demand lifted Hajj network traffic and support activity

BySendTech Times Connectivity DeskNewsroom-edited, source-reviewed coverage|Source: Zawya
Newsroom brief

stc group said data and voice usage rose sharply on the first day of Eid Al-Adha 1447 AH under its Hajj operational plan. Peak-period data traffic increased 44% from a year earlier, while 5G traffic rose 60% and about 15,000 autonomous actions were executed each hour. The group said more than 550 field staff and 149 sales points supported pilgrims, along with over 1,000 sales representatives and 200 translators.

Verified against source materialEdited by SendTech Times Connectivity Desk
stc group says Eid Al-Adha demand lifted Hajj network traffic and support activity
Image source: ACE Times

Network demand on Eid Al-Adha

stc group said the first day of Eid Al-Adha 1447 AH brought a notable rise in data and voice usage on its network during the Hajj season.

The company linked that performance to an integrated operational plan designed to handle heavier demand as pilgrims increasingly used digital services and smart applications.

During peak periods, the group said overall data traffic was 44% higher than in the corresponding period last year.

It also reported a 60% increase in 5G traffic, indicating stronger use of high-speed mobile connectivity at one of the busiest points of the pilgrimage.

The company said it also relied on automation and monitoring tools to manage the surge.

According to stc group, around 15,000 autonomous actions were executed every hour, while advanced solutions were deployed to improve connectivity efficiency during high-demand periods.

Intelligent systems were also used to follow network performance and oversee operations with precision.

Field teams and entry-point services

stc group said field and logistics support were important to sustaining service quality across the Hajj season.

More than 550 trained field staff were deployed at key locations to support rapid emergency response and help keep services available without disruption.

The group also said it expanded direct support for arriving pilgrims through 149 sales points across land, sea, and air entry points.

These locations were backed by more than 1,000 sales representatives and 200 specialized translators offering services in multiple languages.

According to the company, this combination of field deployment, logistics support, and customer-facing access points was intended to improve the experience for pilgrims entering the Kingdom.

The measures also supported continuity during periods of concentrated traffic and operational pressure.

Digital infrastructure and broader footprint

stc group said the results reflect its investment in digital infrastructure and future technologies.

It said the outcome reinforces the Kingdom's position as a global digital hub for serving pilgrims and supports the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 for a smart, secure, and seamlessly connected Hajj experience.

The company described itself as a digital enabler with services spanning digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, digital payments, digital media, and digital entertainment.

It also said the group includes 13 subsidiaries across The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

Taken together, the first-day usage increases, automated network actions, field staffing, and entry-point service coverage show how stc group said it addressed elevated Hajj demand on Eid Al-Adha.

The company presented the figures as evidence that its operational planning, digital systems, and on-the-ground support helped maintain network performance and pilgrim services during a peak period.

Share this article
inXf

Related articles

More
AI Traffic Tests Telecom’s Network Spending Story
Telco & Connectivity

AI Traffic Tests Telecom’s Network Spending Story

Cisco forecast that AI could help push network traffic to 6.6 times current levels by 2035, but analysts and operator capex plans suggest many developed-market networks still have substantial unused capacity. Analysys Mason research cited busy-hour downlink loading of just 12% on older GPON broadband networks, while Omdia said annual RAN spending has stabilized at $35 billion after a $10 billion fall between 2022 and 2024. The key watchpoint is whether AI creates new supplementary traffic from vehicles, IoT and physical AI, or mostly substitutes for existing consumer data use without forcing a broad telecom spending cycle.

IOH Spins Off Indonesian Fibre Assets For US$652 Million To Fund 5G And AI Services
Telco & Connectivity

IOH Spins Off Indonesian Fibre Assets For US$652 Million To Fund 5G And AI Services

IOH said its completed fibre-network spinoff with Arsari Group creates PT Infra Fiber Teknologi, an open-access platform with more than 86,000 kilometres of infrastructure. IOH expects about 11.7 trillion rupiah, or US$652 million, in gross proceeds, but the deal still leaves customer commitments and deployment timing undisclosed.

Ciena's $50 Billion AI Network Target Puts Optical Capacity on the Hyperscaler Clock
Telco & Connectivity

Ciena's $50 Billion AI Network Target Puts Optical Capacity on the Hyperscaler Clock

Ciena says AI demand could roughly double its addressable market to about $50 billion by 2029 as hyperscalers and service providers invest in optical networking. It cited RLS Hyper Rail, DCOM, coherent modules and 400G/800G pluggable optics as demand areas while planning $250 million to $275 million in capex this year. The practical question is whether AI compute buildouts convert into durable network orders.

AT&T and Comcast Frame AI as the Next Telecom Network Test
Telco & Connectivity

AT&T and Comcast Frame AI as the Next Telecom Network Test

AT&T and Comcast described AI as a network workload that changes traffic direction, operations and edge infrastructure. AT&T says AI handles about 700000 daily network changes, while Comcast points to 200 edge compute centers and automated fault handling. The commercial test is whether carriers can turn AI-enabled network capabilities into services households and small businesses understand.

AI Inference Traffic Pushes Telecom Networks Toward a New Planning Problem
Telco & Connectivity

AI Inference Traffic Pushes Telecom Networks Toward a New Planning Problem

Light Reading says AI inference could create longer and more upstream-heavy telecom traffic than video-era networks were built to handle. Analysts cited in the report point to hyperscalers influence over optical transport, data-center interconnect and subsea capacity planning. Operators face a visibility gap because no comprehensive public study maps AI traffic patterns, even as the sector spends more than $600 billion in capex.

NBN’s Kuiper Deal Sets Up A New Satellite Broadband Phase In Australia
Telco & Connectivity

NBN’s Kuiper Deal Sets Up A New Satellite Broadband Phase In Australia

NBN has agreed with Amazon to sell Project Kuiper satellite broadband to more than 300,000 remote Australian customers. The plan would eventually replace NBN’s geostationary Sky Muster service while keeping those satellites running until around 2032. The main test is whether Amazon can scale Kuiper launches and ground infrastructure quickly enough to support a national broadband role.

Keep Reading

More Stories

Latest
Zoom Opens AI Receptionist To Non-Zoom Phone SystemsAIJul 15, 2026Zoom Opens AI Receptionist To Non-Zoom Phone SystemsNo Jitter reported that Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist can now work with any business phone system, extending a product that first launched inside Zoom Phone. Omdia estimated the reachable phone-system base at about 201.4 million subscriptions or licences, while standalone customer counts, call volumes and retention data remain outside the public record.IBM Reports $17 Billion Preliminary Revenue As AI Bookings Top $12 BillionCapital & PolicyJul 15, 2026IBM Reports $17 Billion Preliminary Revenue As AI Bookings Top $12 BillionIBM's preliminary second-quarter revenue came in at roughly $17 billion, below the $18 billion analyst estimate cited by The Next Web, while cumulative AI bookings surpassed $12 billion. Full results are due later this month, but the update did not name the large deals that failed to close or split AI bookings into recognised revenue.Google Says Native Languages Drive 70 Per Cent Of ASEAN Gemini PromptsAIJul 15, 2026Google Says Native Languages Drive 70 Per Cent Of ASEAN Gemini Promptse27 reported that Google's Gemini Southeast Asia Report 2026 puts nearly 70 per cent of regional prompts in native languages and 75 per cent of requests on mobile devices. Absolute active-user totals, retention rates and paid-conversion data remain outside the report.Grok Build Uploads Stop After Cereblab Flags Whole ReposAIJul 15, 2026Grok Build Uploads Stop After Cereblab Flags Whole ReposThe Register reported that Grok Build stopped whole-repository uploads after Cereblab found the AI coding tool sending repo bundles and Git history to Google Cloud Storage. SpaceXAI and Elon Musk said user data would be deleted, but the report did not verify deletion or name an audit record.Google DeepMind CEO Proposes Frontier AI Standards BodyCapital & PolicyJul 15, 2026Google DeepMind CEO Proposes Frontier AI Standards BodySiliconANGLE reported that Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis proposed a frontier AI standards body that could begin with voluntary model reviews 30 days before release. The proposal names quarterly risk-test refreshes and a launch goal before the end of the year, but does not identify first participating labs, funding commitments or a supervising US agency.Google Play Must Carry Rival Android App Stores On July 22Capital & PolicyJul 15, 2026Google Play Must Carry Rival Android App Stores On July 22The Verge reported that Google and Epic Games withdrew a bid to modify the Epic v. Google injunction. Google Play is set to carry rival Android app stores in the United States from July 22, while app-store billing economics, terms beyond the review charge of $5,000 and early store participants remain outside the public record.EdgeConneX Plans 500MW+ Malaysia AI Data Centre CapacityCloud & Data CentersJul 15, 2026EdgeConneX Plans 500MW+ Malaysia AI Data Centre CapacityTech Wire Asia published sponsored material saying EdgeConneX is building more than 500MW of AI-ready capacity across Cyberjaya and Johor, with rack designs from 20kW to 600kW+ and closed-loop cooling. Signed tenants, contracted capacity and customer deployment dates remain outside the sponsored account.AWS And Bluesight Put Prism Assistant Across 20 Health SystemsAIJul 15, 2026AWS And Bluesight Put Prism Assistant Across 20 Health SystemsAI News reported that AWS and Bluesight have moved the ControlCheck Prism Assistant to general availability across 20 health systems, while a separate 340B GPO compliance agent remains scheduled for later in 2026. AWS cited faster report generation and synthetic-test results, while named hospital customers, pricing and production results for the planned GPO agent remain outside the public account.Meta Opens Muse Spark 1.1 API With 1 Million-Token Agent ContextAIJul 15, 2026Meta Opens Muse Spark 1.1 API With 1 Million-Token Agent ContextSiliconANGLE reported that Meta launched Muse Spark 1.1 in Meta AI and a public-preview Meta Model API, with a 1 million-token context window and company-reported coding benchmark gains. API pricing, named enterprise customers and independent performance validation remain outside the public report.Microsoft Revokes 11 Secure Boot Shims After ESET Finds Bypass RiskCybersecurityJul 15, 2026Microsoft Revokes 11 Secure Boot Shims After ESET Finds Bypass RiskArs Technica reported that ESET found 11 old UEFI shim images that Microsoft still trusted even after known defects. Microsoft revoked the shims in its June patch release, while the reason the lapse lasted for years remains outside the public account.NVIDIA Lists Nemotron Enterprise AI Use Cases Without Contract DataAIJul 15, 2026NVIDIA Lists Nemotron Enterprise AI Use Cases Without Contract DataNVIDIA said its Nemotron open models are being customised by enterprise and national AI builders, with examples across clinical documentation, legal work, enterprise search and Malaysian-language AI. The company cited partner benchmark and cost claims, while contract values, deployment volumes and independent benchmark audits remain outside the public account.OpenAI Names GPT-5.6 For Microsoft 365 Copilot WorkflowsAIJul 15, 2026OpenAI Names GPT-5.6 For Microsoft 365 Copilot WorkflowsOpenAI said GPT-5.6 will power Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Chat and Cowork. The official announcement names Microsoft API access and model-serving plans, while rollout dates, pricing changes, Copilot adoption metrics and customer benchmark results remain outside the announcement.