stc Bahrain Boosts Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction with Digital Transformation

stc Bahrain, a key player in Bahrain's telecoms sector, has made significant strides in its digital transformation journey, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and efficiency.

The Saudi Arabian telco entered the Bahraini telecom market in 2010 and quickly became a major player in the nation's telecom sector, securing 41% of market revenues by 2022. It was also the first operator to launch 5G technology in Bahrain, helping the country become one of the first to achieve nationwide 5G coverage.

To address the complexities accompanying its rapid growth, stc Bahrain has embarked on a digital transformation strategy.Top of FormBottom of Form "We have multiple layers of suppliers and providers, and managing all of them was becoming quite complex," said Ahmed Alsharif, chief technology and digital officer at stc Bahrain. "Building a more efficient digital system was the key to improving customer experience, reducing time-to-market, and allowing us to better control operational expenses."

The first hurdle was persuading the team. "The fundamental challenge in any transformation is securing buy-in for the change," Alsharif stated. "We started with our team, gathering opinions and experiences, then used these to build the company's strategy. It's essential for employees across the board to feel like they own or can adapt to the change."

A major aspect of the strategy involved automating network functions and integrating artificial intelligence. The company, in partnership with Huawei, launched the region's first unified automation and intelligence program, uNOC. This program consolidates all service flows into a single AI-powered platform, enabling the company to tackle challenges beyond the reach of traditional methods.

This technological shift has already yielded tangible results. "Efficiency is the key benefit. Now, we can quickly identify any degradation in the network and begin solving it right away." The platform, which runs alongside iFIT, an intelligent network management system, enables stc Bahrain to manage its network in real-time, significantly enhancing service quality.

These advancements have led to a marked increase in customer satisfaction. "Our positive customer satisfaction got a big boost as we were able to ensure a stable service experience for our customers," Alsharif shared. "Our goal has always been to be number one in customer satisfaction. By adopting automation, we are able to identify potential issues in the network that can lead to a degraded service experience. This capability enables us to be proactive rather than reactive in addressing network issues."

Looking to the future, stc Bahrain is committed to supporting Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, a government initiative aimed at the country's economic competitiveness. The company has invested over $2 billion in the country's digital infrastructure and developed a suite of ICT products, including cybersecurity, asset tracking, data hosting, and cloud services.

"It's a journey; we've just started and have much more to do," concluded Alsharif.