Zain Saudi weighing fibre-Internet service after licence upgrade

Riyadh

MOBILE Telecommunication Co is considering introducing new services such as fibre-optic Internet access in Saudi Arabia after winning an upgrade to its licence, a move that would bring the scope of its offerings nearer to larger Saudi Telecom Co.

Saudi Arabia's third-largest phone operator "has the most to gain" from a licensing change by the government because it was able to provide only mobile services before, said Andrew White, its chief strategy and business development officer.

The company, known as Zain Saudi, can start landline voice and data services after the government said it would upgrade telecommunications carriers' l…