Zain KSA announced a partnership with Huawei in relation to implementing a ‘to Home’ video streaming service platform and infrastructure. The announcement comes on the back of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Zain and Huawei on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
By signing this MoU, the parties agree to cooperate towards the project’s successful launch, and boost the ‘to Home’ business success, especially the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) service. This project will position Zain Saudi Arabia as the first telecom operator in the Middle East to use a cloud solution to build their own video services.
The use of cloud technology to launch a streaming service will bring huge benefits both to Zain and its customers in the Kingdom. The video service will give viewers access to pre-integrated OSN entertainment channels as well access to OSN’s on-demand TV service and online catch-up platform, OSN Play which allows views to watch anytime, anywhere and on any device. The service will offer big data-based analysis function which gives users individualized recommendations and targeted advertisements. Migrating to video cloud also enables faster and more cost-effective implementation. Installation time is reduced to one week compared to on premise construction and implementation which would typically take approximately half a year.
Zain is among the first operators in the world to make use of Huawei’s video cloud solutions, which Huawei launched in 2018 to catalyze the video channel distribution shift from satellite to IP. The solution tackles the challenges slowing progress in the broadcast industry, particularly high costs, sub-par user experience, and the inability of satellites to meet the growing demand for immediate high-definition content.
Dennis Zhang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia, said, “We are delighted to partner with Zain to launch this innovative new service. Huawei holds a leading position in 5G and video development, and we are happy to support the Saudi ICT sector and bring the latest innovative technologies that will help transform and develop the Kingdome. Zain is one of the leading companies in Saudi Arabia and we are honored to be working together.”
Commenting on the partnership, Eng. Sultan Bin AbdulAziz AlDeghaither, CEO of Zain KSA, said, “We are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ needs and expectations, and through our latest agreements with Huawei, we’ll continue to help lead communities and businesses forward through new connected experiences.