Zain Group has received two significant honors at the Informa 5G Core Excellence and Innovation Awards, which recognize leading advancements in 5G core technology globally. The company was awarded ‘Best 5G-Advanced Service Innovation’ and ‘Best 5G-Advanced Technology Breakthrough’ for its operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
In line with its ‘4WARD-Progress with Purpose’ strategy, Zain has invested heavily in deploying 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology. Both Zain Kuwait and Zain KSA were among the first operators worldwide to launch commercial 5G-Advanced services in mid-2025, highlighting their commitment to digital infrastructure development.
Mohammad Al Murshed, Zain Group Chief Technology Officer, stated: “As a company from the region and for the region, Zain is continually enhancing its technology capabilities that drives momentum in enhancing the customer experience, digital transformation, and industrial diversification of the markets we proudly serve.”
He added: “Whether through technical breakthroughs, architectural innovation, efficiency optimization, service enablement, or strategic business models, Zain is focused in shaping the digital infrastructure of the future, unlocking new possibilities and powering the shift toward intelligent connectivity.”
The awards jury recognized several innovations by Zain Kuwait. The operator collaborated with Huawei to build a new calling network based on VoNR (Voice over New Radio), introducing an open plug-in-based system. It also piloted Arabic intelligent translation services to assist over eight million travelers visiting Kuwait annually by breaking down language barriers. Additionally, during the Arabian Gulf Cup in late 2024, Zain launched a “Call Screen Lighting” feature that displayed football match promotional videos when users contacted customer service. This allowed customers to receive real-time event updates while providing new opportunities for business expansion.
Zain Kuwait also became the first telecom operator globally to offer nationwide VoNR coverage. This allows customers to make uninterrupted voice calls with ultra-fast internet speeds on compatible smartphones at no extra cost.
For Zain KSA, recognition came for its work on 5G-A Fixed-Mobile Convergence Technology. By commercially deploying 5.5G-A using Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) within its Mobile Home architecture, Zain KSA improved scalability and reduced latency compared to traditional internet access methods. This provides more stable connections suitable for game streaming and supports Saudi Arabia’s esports and gaming industry.
These achievements underscore Zain Group’s ongoing leadership in connectivity innovation across individual consumers, businesses, and government sectors it serves.
