STC records smooth performance in 'Tarwiyah Day' and raises network capacity in 'Arafat' to 180%

The usage was noticeably higher in this Hajj season especially for roaming users in Makkah and 'Mina' on STC's network, in addition to an increase in call traffic and local and international SMS and MMS.

The massive expansion and new features that STC added to this Hajj season in Makkah and Hajj ritual sites contributed to raising the network capacity for telecom services including voice calls and Internet usage, where some sites reached a reported 385% increase in network capacity compared to the previous year, as evident by STC's Internet traffic report, which pointed to more than 2750TB in Internet traffic on the company's networks. The report accredited the smooth traffic performance to the fact that STC possesses the largest Internet gate in the MENA region that is capable of processing more than 380GB per second.

STC also raised the 3G network capacity in 'Arafat' by 180% compared to last year, in anticipation of the surge in demand for mobile Internet usage, especially with the widespread usage of smart phones. The move is expected to enable pilgrims to use their mobile devices with more ease throughout their trips between the various Hajj ritual sites, and to send quality pictures and data at high speed.

The boost in network capacity for mobile networks will contribute to achieving STC's goal in ensuring a smooth call and data traffic on its networks at the highest international standards of quality and speed. STC focused on enhancing its network in Hajj ritual sites and pilgrim pathways for this Hajj season to facilitate communication between pilgrims and their loved ones anywhere in the world. The company had announced earlier its success in maintaining a smooth call traffic in 'Mina' where pilgrims spent the 'Tarwiyah Day', where it was evident that pilgrims use of wireless Internet is significantly greater than previous years, as the company focused on enhancing its 3G and 4G network stations by adding a considerable number of additional towers and network stations.