Digital Innovation
Innovate or perish
In rapidly changing ecosystems de-
fined by the Fourth Industrial Revo-
lution and a greater demand for ac-
countability, the need to evolve the
organization to extract maximum
value while implementing a more
responsive approach to the envi-
ronment is highly relevant to Zain.
Across the company’s footprint,
over 7,000 dedicated Zainers con-
tinue to strive to provide customers
Meaningful Connectivity through
a tailored range of services to help
the communities served lead better
lives.
Digital initiatives
Zain is helping organizations unlock opportunities
in various industries to fast-track growth and help
them benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT) in
an efficient, safer and faster way
Throughout 2019, Zain Group in-
vested over US$ 1 billion in CAPEX,
predominantly in expansion of Fi-
ber-to-the-Home (FTTH) infrastructure; spectrum fees; 4G upgrades
and new network sites across its markets, as well as major 5G rollouts
in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Zain is establishing structures and
entering key partnerships in the
fintech and e-Health arena, and
opening its APIs across key mar-
kets to offer appealing entertain-
ment services, and reap the lucra-
tive opportunities in the digital
space. By the end of 2019, Zain’s
API digital partnerships provided
Direct Operator Billing and at-
tracted content providers such as
Apple, Google, DOCOMO Digi-
tal, OSN, Digital Virgo, EROS and
Centili, resulting in over three mil-
lion monthly transactions.
In addition to supporting digital transformation aspirations, this
huge investment is paying off as reflected by the 36% annual
growth in the Group’s consolidated data revenue, which reached
US$ 2 billion, representing 36% of the Group’s revenue for 2019.
4Sight strategy gains momentum
Zain’s 4Sight strategy is taking shape, based on evolving the com-
pany’s core telecom business to maximize value and building on the
organization’s many strengths to selectively invest in growth verticals
beyond standard mobile services. This approach supports Zain’s vi-
sion of becoming a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider.
Committed to assisting create the region’s digital future, Zain seeks
verticals that fall within four categories.
1. Disruptive, whereby these digital business models show signs
of success at a global level but are yet to be established regionally.
2. Scaled, whereby new opportunities can exist as standalone
cores and can be scaled regionally across the company’s footprint
and beyond.
3. Ecosystem, whereby Zain seeks complementarities between se-
lected business models in order to propel growth complying with
the UN’s Sustainable Developments Goals.
4. Capability leverage, aiming to use existing differentiating capa-
bilities to obtain a competitive advantage and accelerate growth.
5G is set to drive a whole new set of business
and consumer applications to the benefit of
society at large
Zain Drone expands to Saudi Arabia
Debuting in Kuwait in October 2018, Zain’s
Drone-as-a-Service has undertaken several
proof-of-concepts and formed numerous
industry alliances, unlocking opportunities
to fast-track growth and help organizations
benefit from the Internet of Things in
an efficient, safer and faster way. During
2019, Zain Drone attained ISO 9001:2015
certification and Zain Drone Saudi Arabia
was established, marking the first step to
expanding Zain Drone’s presence across
the region.
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