Company Insights Saudi Telecom Company Telecoms Saudi Telecom Company Overview The Saudi Telecom Company – STC – offers landline, broadband and mobile phone services across the Middle East. Its other offerings include online payments, “Internet of Things” sevices, gaming and cybersecurity. Majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, STC offered 6 percent of its shares for sale in 2021. In 2022 it offered a further 30 percent to the Saudi stock market, allocating 20 percent to individual Saudi citizens, 5 percent to the General Organization for Social Insurance and 5 percent to the General Organization for Retirement. In 2023 STC acquired a 9.9 percent stake in European telecoms group Telefónica for €2.1 billion, making it the largest shareholder. In the same year it launched a corporate investment fund, with an interest in startups in sectors such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. STC’s revenue for 2023 was more than SAR23 billion. It has around 25 data centres operational in Saudi Arabia and plans more. Subsidiaries include STC Bahrain, STC Kuwait, Channels by STC, Sirar by STC, Tawal, Intigral, Aqalat, Center3, STC Pay, Alibaba Cloud and IOT2 STC also collaborates with a range of entities, from US software giant Microsoft, to Saudi resort group Red Sea Global. Saudi Telecom Company News Telecoms STC allowed to raise holding in Spain’s Telefonica Saudi Arabia’s STC Group has received the green light from the Spanish government to increase its stake in telecoms group Telefonica. The approval allows the Saudi telecom to raise its holding from 4.97 percent to 9.97 percent and appoint a board member, the company said in a statement to the Saudi bourse on Thursday. The […] November 29, 2024 Telecoms PIF’s $1bn Saudi Telecom sale could be sign of things to come Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has offloaded a $1 billion stake in the kingdom’s former telecoms monopoly in a deal that could mark the start of further equity sales as government entities seek to raise money for infrastructure spending. In October, the International Monetary Fund lowered its GDP growth prediction for Saudi Arabia this year […] November 14, 2024 Analysis Tech US and China in race to get their tech into Gulf markets Gulf countries are likely to face mounting pressure to adopt American technology as the US tries to exploit its best-in-class semiconductor and artificial intelligence products to muscle China out of their markets before the Asian superpower catches up. The US is walking a fine line between increasing the regional uptake of its chips and software […] November 7, 2024 Analysis Giga-projects The huge ambitions of PIF come at vast expense The scale of the holdings is vast and the ambition is huge. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was the world’s highest-spending state-owned investor in the first half of 2024, according to Global SWF, a consultancy. It is due to raise its annual spending to $70 billion in 2025, a year earlier than previously announced, according […] September 20, 2024 Artificial Intelligence Aramco partners with US startup Groq for AI data centre Saudi Aramco’s digital arm is partnering with US semiconductor startup Groq to build the world’s largest artificial intelligence inferencing data centre. Unlike regular data centres, which handle a range of computing tasks, an AI inferencing data centre is designed specifically to run AI models that make rapid predictions or decisions. The facility will use Groq’s […] September 16, 2024 Trade Saudi Arabia anticipates US easing Nvidia chip ban Saudi Arabia is welcoming reports that the US government is considering lifting export restrictions on Nvidia chips to the kingdom, which maintains close trade ties with US rival China. Asked at an artificial intelligence (AI) forum in Riyadh if he would be content to see exports without limits, minister of industry and mineral resources Bandar […] September 16, 2024 Tech Global cloud platforms offer Saudis data protection promises Saudi Arabia’s cloud computing market is heating up as global players find a footing in the country with promises to secure government information. Saudi Arabia has set aside $18 billion to become a regional leader in cloud computing, the Saudi Data and AI Authority said this week, allowing foreign companies to open data centres. Saudi […] September 13, 2024 Analysis Markets PIF-backed Saudi companies increase dividends This week Saudi Arabia’s former telecom monopoly announced increased dividends. It became the latest company part-owned by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund and listed on Riyadh’s bourse to do so. The higher payouts provide a boost to the income of the Public Investment Fund, which it can then reinvest in higher-growth industries and accelerate Saudi’s […] August 30, 2024 Analysis Telecoms Saudi Telecom’s share surge raises prospect of PIF stake sale Saudi Telecom Co’s surprise dividend increase announcement has propelled its stock to a 13-month high and increased the likelihood that majority shareholder the Public Investment Fund may sell some of its stake in the former telecom monopoly. On Sunday, STC said it would pay SAR0.55 ($0.15) per share each quarter for three years starting from […] August 28, 2024 Tech Saudi telco STC approves three-year dividend policy Saudi Arabia’s STC Group has announced its new three-year dividend policy, committing a payout of SAR0.55 ($0.15) per share every quarter, starting in Q4 2024 and running until Q3 2027. The decision is subject to approval by the shareholders and the date of the general assembly will be announced soon. The telecom operator may consider paying […] August 25, 2024 Posts navigation 1 2 … 6 Next
Telecoms STC allowed to raise holding in Spain’s Telefonica Saudi Arabia’s STC Group has received the green light from the Spanish government to increase its stake in telecoms group Telefonica. The approval allows the Saudi telecom to raise its holding from 4.97 percent to 9.97 percent and appoint a board member, the company said in a statement to the Saudi bourse on Thursday. The […] November 29, 2024
Telecoms PIF’s $1bn Saudi Telecom sale could be sign of things to come Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has offloaded a $1 billion stake in the kingdom’s former telecoms monopoly in a deal that could mark the start of further equity sales as government entities seek to raise money for infrastructure spending. In October, the International Monetary Fund lowered its GDP growth prediction for Saudi Arabia this year […] November 14, 2024
Analysis Tech US and China in race to get their tech into Gulf markets Gulf countries are likely to face mounting pressure to adopt American technology as the US tries to exploit its best-in-class semiconductor and artificial intelligence products to muscle China out of their markets before the Asian superpower catches up. The US is walking a fine line between increasing the regional uptake of its chips and software […] November 7, 2024
Analysis Giga-projects The huge ambitions of PIF come at vast expense The scale of the holdings is vast and the ambition is huge. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was the world’s highest-spending state-owned investor in the first half of 2024, according to Global SWF, a consultancy. It is due to raise its annual spending to $70 billion in 2025, a year earlier than previously announced, according […] September 20, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Aramco partners with US startup Groq for AI data centre Saudi Aramco’s digital arm is partnering with US semiconductor startup Groq to build the world’s largest artificial intelligence inferencing data centre. Unlike regular data centres, which handle a range of computing tasks, an AI inferencing data centre is designed specifically to run AI models that make rapid predictions or decisions. The facility will use Groq’s […] September 16, 2024
Trade Saudi Arabia anticipates US easing Nvidia chip ban Saudi Arabia is welcoming reports that the US government is considering lifting export restrictions on Nvidia chips to the kingdom, which maintains close trade ties with US rival China. Asked at an artificial intelligence (AI) forum in Riyadh if he would be content to see exports without limits, minister of industry and mineral resources Bandar […] September 16, 2024
Tech Global cloud platforms offer Saudis data protection promises Saudi Arabia’s cloud computing market is heating up as global players find a footing in the country with promises to secure government information. Saudi Arabia has set aside $18 billion to become a regional leader in cloud computing, the Saudi Data and AI Authority said this week, allowing foreign companies to open data centres. Saudi […] September 13, 2024
Analysis Markets PIF-backed Saudi companies increase dividends This week Saudi Arabia’s former telecom monopoly announced increased dividends. It became the latest company part-owned by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund and listed on Riyadh’s bourse to do so. The higher payouts provide a boost to the income of the Public Investment Fund, which it can then reinvest in higher-growth industries and accelerate Saudi’s […] August 30, 2024
Analysis Telecoms Saudi Telecom’s share surge raises prospect of PIF stake sale Saudi Telecom Co’s surprise dividend increase announcement has propelled its stock to a 13-month high and increased the likelihood that majority shareholder the Public Investment Fund may sell some of its stake in the former telecom monopoly. On Sunday, STC said it would pay SAR0.55 ($0.15) per share each quarter for three years starting from […] August 28, 2024
Tech Saudi telco STC approves three-year dividend policy Saudi Arabia’s STC Group has announced its new three-year dividend policy, committing a payout of SAR0.55 ($0.15) per share every quarter, starting in Q4 2024 and running until Q3 2027. The decision is subject to approval by the shareholders and the date of the general assembly will be announced soon. The telecom operator may consider paying […] August 25, 2024
