Saudi's STC renews NSN contract

Saudi Arabian operator STC has renewed its managed services contract with infrastructure vendor Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) which will see the Finnish firm continue to provide network planning and optimisation, network and service operations and hardware and software services for STC’s Al Jawal network in Saudi Arabia. The contract covers STC’s GSM, 3G and LTE networks that are within NSN’s footprint.

STC added that it has been partnered with NSN for over a decade and that the contract renewal will help it to improve customers’ experience.

“With our expertise in operating multi-technology network for many leading operators around the globe and our global best practices in network operations, we deliver high quality network performance to STC,” said Hani Dib, head of STC customer team at NSN Saudi Arabia. “Our managed services help boost end-to-end network and service performance, and hence allows STC to focus its resources on core business activities.”

In 2014, NSN has already won a five-year deal to supply equipment to European operator Vimpelcom’s LTE radio access network in some regions of Russia, and at the end of last year, the vendor signed an LTE network deal with China’s third largest operator China Telecom, which it described as a “breakthrough” for its mobile broadband business.

NSN announced last month that it saw a 22 per cent drop in net sales year on year in 4Q13, from €3.99bn to €3.1. Similarly, operating margin for the quarter fell from 14.4 per cent to 11.2 per cent. Notably, the vendor saw net sales for the quarter fall year on year in every region it operates in bar the Middle East, where it saw a two per cent increase.