Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), a renowned technology, media, and telecommunications company in Saudi Arabia, has announced that it will invest a whopping SAR 3.4 billion (US$ 905 million) into digital infrastructure in the Middle East. The announcement was made during the recently concluded LEAP 2025 technology conference in Riyadh.
In a press release, Mobily said that the amount would be invested in “data centers, submarine cables, and fiber networks.” This is just one of the several key agreements spanning “key technology domains, including digitalization, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and IoT solutions” during the conference.
A local media report quoted Mobily CEO, Salman Al-Badran, as saying, “Mobily’s investment in data centres has exceeded SAR 2 billion, with plans to build data centres with a total capacity of 39 MW, supporting the growing demand for AI, GPU, and other advanced applications.”
He further said, “Mobily has invested in several submarine cables that enhance Saudi Arabia’s connectivity with the world. These include the new (Africa 1) cable, linking the Kingdom with Africa and Europe, and the (SMW6) cable, connecting Saudi Arabia to Asia and Europe,” adding that, “Mobily has invested in the construction and upgrade of the (AAE1) submarine cable and the expansion of the fiber-optic network to provide multiple pathways for international carriers, global cloud service providers, and submarine cable consortiums.”
At present Mobily offers colocation data center services in eight locations across Saudi Arabia: three each in Riyadh and Dammam, and two in Jeddah. Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) is a Saudi company established in 2004. The Company’s major shareholders are Etisalat Emirates Group (27.99%) and the General Organization for Social Insurance (6.90%). The remaining shares are owned by institutional and retail investors.