Saudi Arabia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Saudi Arabia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Key Findings
stc wins three out of four speed awards outright, but loses 5G Upload Speed to Mobily
Once again, our users on stc’s network enjoy the fastest overall download and upload speeds in Saudi Arabia, clocking in at 55.2Mbps and 13Mbps, respectively. After sharing the winners’ podium with Mobily for 5G Download Speed in the previous report, stc claims the award outright this time around, with a score of 252.4Mbps. However, Mobily pulls ahead of stc for the 5G Upload Speed award and wins the recognition outright with a score of 27.6Mbps.
Mobily is now the sole winner for 5G Video Experience
Mobily breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with stc for 5G Video Experience in the previous report and is now the sole winner, with a score of 73.5 points on a 100-point scale. Regardless of their choice of a mobile operator, our Saudi users enjoy a Very Good (68-78) quality of 5G video services. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Mobily comes first for Consistent Quality
Mobily remains the sole winner of Consistent Quality, with a score of 61.7%, commanding a lead of three percentage points over the runner-up stc. This metric measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical demanding tasks on their devices.
stc triumphs for both Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience
The Coverage Experience award stays in stc’s hands, as the operator wins it outright with a score of 8.7 points on a 10-point scale — and a substantial winning margin of three points over the runner-up Mobily. This means stc has the widest and largest geographic footprint of coverage in populated areas out of all mobile operators in Saudi Arabia. The operator defends the 5G Coverage Experience award with a score of 2.8 points on a 10-point scale, beating second-placed Mobily by one point.
stc and Mobily go head-to-head for city award counts
Mobily leads the award count across nine Saudi cities with 33 awards won outright and 34 jointly. This is a slightly bigger haul than stc’s, which is the sole winner for 31 city awards and shares the winners’ podium for 33 more. The bulk of Mobily’s wins comes from 5G Experience categories, while stc triumphs in the Overall section. Zain ends with eight joint wins, half of which for 5G Experience. Our Mobily users in Riyadh enjoy the most consistent quality of services out of all analyzed cities in Saudi Arabia — 72.8%.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Mobily leads the award count in the latest Saudi Arabia Mobile Network Experience report, with seven awards won outright and one jointly. Meanwhile, stc is a five-time sole winner in the report, on top of sharing Reliability Experience with Mobily. Mobily excels at video and games metrics, along with Availability and Consistent Quality — and stc claims three out of four speed awards, along with both Coverage Experience categories. Unlike in the previous report, Mobily claims 5G Video Experience all to itself, while stc — 5G Download Speed. Mobily also overtakes stc for 5G Upload Speed.
In November 2024, the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) concluded the spectrum auction for the 600MHz, 700MHz and 3.8GHz bands. This increases the amount of licensed mobile frequencies to Saudi operators by 27% — from 1110MHz to 1400MHz. stc secured spectrum licences in the 600MHz and 3.8GHz bands, Mobily — in 700MHz and 3.8GHz, while Zain — only in the 600MHz band. Saudi Arabia is the first market in the EMEA region to license the 600MHz frequency band for mobile telecommunication networks — which is one of the key spectrum bands identified for future allocations to mobile services.
On top of purchasing new spectrum assets, Saudi operators have also been investing in expanding their networks. stc has launched SuperLink in collaboration with Huawei, which offers 5G connection across remote regions of the Kingdom without extensive tower space and antennas. Meanwhile, Zain is collaborating with Nokia to introduce a 4G/5G femtocell solution to improve indoor mobile coverage and boost the reliability of mobile services at different business locations.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Saudi Arabia — stc, Mobily, and Zain — over a period of 90 days starting on November 1, 2024, and ending on January 29, 2025, to see how they fared. Along with our national analysis, we've also examined users' mobile network experience across nine of Saudi Arabia's major cities.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Mobily once again wins the Video Experience award outright, this time with a score of 62.9 points on a 100-point scale, beating stc by two points. Zain comes third, but it has seen the highest increase in its score, of seven points.
stc and Mobily rate as Good (58-68) for video services, while Zain places one category lower, in Fair (48-58). A Good (58-68) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
Mobily defends Games Experience with a score of 69.9 points on a 100-point scale. Meanwhile, stc comes second, one point behind the winner.
Our stc and Mobily users have a Fair (65-75) gaming experience, while Zain places one category lower, in Poor (40-65). A Fair (65-75) rating means that users find the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game is responsive to the actions of the player with most users feeling like they have control over the game. The majority of players notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Once again, our users on stc’s network enjoy the fastest overall download speeds in Saudi Arabia, clocking in at 55.2Mbps. stc beats the runner-up Mobily by 2Mbps. All three Saudi operators’ Download Speed Experience scores have increased from those seen in the previous report, rising by around 10-11Mbps.
Definitions
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
- 5G Download Speed: The average download speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Download Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average download speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G download speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
National Analysis
stc confirms its supremacy for Upload Speed Experience, winning the award again, this time with a score of 13Mbps. Mobily users have observed the biggest boost in their average overall upload speeds, of 2Mbps, while their stc and Zain peers have seen improvements of 1Mbps each.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: Saudi Arabia, Mobile Network Experience Report, February 2025
-
A-I
- Abha
- Al Hofuf
- Dammam
- Hail
-
J-R
- Jeddah
- Khamis Mushayt
- Madina
- Mecca
- Riyadh
in Abha
in Abha
in Abha
in Abha
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Hail
in Hail
in Hail
in Hail
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Madina
in Madina
in Madina
in Madina
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
5G Experience
National Analysis
Mobily breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with stc for 5G Video Experience in the previous report and is now the sole winner, with a score of 73.5 points on a 100-point scale. It commands a lead of two points over the previous joint winner stc.
Regardless of their choice of a mobile operator, our Saudi users enjoy a Very Good (68-78) quality of 5G video services. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
Mobily remains the sole winner of 5G Games Experience with a score of 82.4 points on a 100-point scale, four points ahead of the runner-up stc.
Both stc and Mobily rate as Good (75-85) for 5G Games Experience — meanwhile, while Zain places two categories lower, in Poor (40-65). The rating for stc and Mobily means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
After sharing the winners’ podium with Mobily for 5G Download Speed in the previous report, stc claims the award outright this time around, with a score of 252.4Mbps. This is 6Mbps faster than in the case of second-placed Zain — however, Zain has observed the highest increase in 5G Download Speed since the previous report, a rise of 29Mbps.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
Mobily pulls ahead of stc for the 5G Upload Speed award and wins the recognition outright with a score of 27.6Mbps, beating the previous winner by 2Mbps. Mobily claims the award all to itself due to an increase in its score of 2Mbps, while stc’s dropped by 1Mbps. Zain is the operator that observed the largest boost in its score, of 3Mbps.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: Saudi Arabia, Mobile Network Experience Report, February 2025
-
A-I
- Abha
- Al Hofuf
- Dammam
- Hail
-
J-R
- Jeddah
- Khamis Mushayt
- Madina
- Mecca
- Riyadh
in Abha
in Abha
in Abha
in Abha
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Hail
in Hail
in Hail
in Hail
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Madina
in Madina
in Madina
in Madina
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
Coverage
National Analysis
The Coverage Experience award stays in stc’s hands, as the operator wins it outright with a score of 8.7 points on a 10-point scale — and a substantial winning margin of three points over the runner-up Mobily. This means stc has the widest and largest geographic footprint of coverage in populated areas out of all mobile operators in Saudi Arabia.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
National Analysis
stc defends the 5G Coverage Experience award with a score of 2.8 points on a 10-point scale, beating second-placed Mobily by one point. Zain comes third with a score of 1.4 points. All Saudi operators’r 5G Coverage Experience scores have increased by less than one point compared to those in the last report.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
5G Coverage Experience shows the proportion of places Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
National Analysis
Mobily retains the Availability award, with a score of 97.9% — under one percentage point ahead of stc. These scores represent the proportion of time Opensignal users spend with a 5G, 4G or 3G mobile signal.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: Saudi Arabia, Mobile Network Experience Report, February 2025
-
A-I
- Abha
- Al Hofuf
- Dammam
- Hail
-
J-R
- Jeddah
- Khamis Mushayt
- Madina
- Mecca
- Riyadh
in Abha
in Al Hofuf
in Dammam
in Hail
in Jeddah
in Khamis Mushayt
in Madina
in Mecca
in Riyadh
Consistency
National Analysis
Mobily remains the sole winner of Consistent Quality, with a score of 61.7%, commanding a lead of three percentage points over the runner-up stc.
This metric measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
We combine different experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
National Analysis
stc joins Mobily on the winners’ podium for Reliability Experience, as both operators now share the award with statistically tied scores of 804-805 points on a 100-1000 point scale. This marks the only joint victory in the national awards table this time around. Zain comes third, 55 points behind the joint winners.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete basic tasks on operators’ networks. It consists of the following components:
a) Signal Availability — the proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully receive mobile network signal,
b) Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet,
c) Task Completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed,
d) Sufficiency — the probability that (basic) tasks will be executed sufficiently well for the user.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of Opensignal users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on communication service providers’ (CSP) networks. It analyzes how much Opensignal users’ experience is affected by the radio access and core network, along with issues that prevent them from connecting to the internet even if they have a connection to their CSP’s network. It also factors in users’ ability to successfully use lower performance applications including SD video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: Saudi Arabia, Mobile Network Experience Report, February 2025
-
A-I
- Abha
- Al Hofuf
- Dammam
- Hail
-
J-R
- Jeddah
- Khamis Mushayt
- Madina
- Mecca
- Riyadh
in Abha
in Abha
in Al Hofuf
in Al Hofuf
in Dammam
in Dammam
in Hail
in Hail
in Jeddah
in Jeddah
in Khamis Mushayt
in Khamis Mushayt
in Madina
in Madina
in Mecca
in Mecca
in Riyadh
in Riyadh
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
About Opensignal
Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
Check how your internet connection impacts your favorite apps with the Meteor App
Journalists, please retain the Opensignal logo and copyright
(© Opensignal Limited) information when using this image.
This image may not be used for any commercial purpose, including use in advertisements or other promotional content, without prior written consent.
Confidence Intervals
For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience