Nokia and stc Launch Technology Innovation Center in Riyadh

Nokia and stc has announced a joint collaboration to operate stc’s Technology Innovation Center in Riyadh. An agreement was signed to this extent by Abdullah Alowini, VP, Technology Strategy and Architecture at stc, and Khalid Hussain, Saudi Country Senior Officer at Nokia, in the presence of Haitham Al Faraj, SVP, Technology and Operations at stc, and Amr K. El Leithy, Head of Middle East and Africa Market at Nokia.

The five-year project will see Nokia carry out several programs to help stc develop at least four truly innovative use cases every year to support stc’s business goals.

Nokia will also support stc with the development of innovative use cases for new upcoming technologies. stc will also join Nokia’s Open Ecosystem Network, a digital collaboration platform which brings companies together to help them innovate and develop new ideas. This is where the center’s digital community will be hosted.

Communications Service Providers (CSP) worldwide are working towards developing an innovation mindset to create new use cases for next generation technologies such as 5G. STC has partnered with Nokia to achieve innovative use cases, utilizing Nokia's proven expertise in the latest technologies such as 5G, Mobile Edge Computing, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Platform, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Under the partnership, Nokia will also raise stc engineers’ capabilities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them build use cases in line with unique requirements of Saudi Arabia. Nokia will conduct several competitions to stimulate new ideas and use cases. A winner will be selected at the end of every challenge, contest or hackathon, based on the concept or business viability. This will help STC develop new revenue generation streams.

Nokia will utilize its learnings and insights from several other partnerships worldwide to efficiently manage and operate the innovation center. In addition, Nokia will conduct several activities, including new product development practices, lean start-up methodologies, internal innovation enablers, service design, co-creation, cross-pollination, and technology scouting, to stimulate new ideas.

The innovation center will be equipped with the latest technologies and will leverage Nokia's Open Ecosystem Network. It will provide an opportunity for STC employees to interact and benefit from Nokia's international partner network. The exchange of ideas and interaction with global subject matter experts will help develop innovative services and products.

Abdullah Alowini, VP, Technology Strategy and Architecture at stc, said: “We are committed to providing the latest products and services, and this is a crucial initiative in this direction. The innovation center will develop path-breaking use cases that will improve the lives of the people and contribute to the economic and social development of Saudi Arabia in line with Saudi Vision 2030. We are confident that this program, in collaboration with Nokia, will help us in developing local content and innovative use cases to improve the quality of lives of our people.”

Khalid Hussain, Saudi Country Senior Officer at Nokia, said: “This collaboration is testimony to yet another strong, evolving partnership between stc and Nokia, contributing towards fast realization of Saudi Vision 2030. We are excited to work with stc on this unique initiative to develop unique ideas. We look forward to leveraging our global perspective, insights and technology expertise to help conceptualize new ideas to enhance the quality of life of the citizens."