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 sweeps the speed experience awards
By leading the market on speed and winning all four speed awards, stc is helping lift Saudi Arabia’s national standing—ranked the fastest large land-area country globally for mobile download speed in the the Q4 2025 Global Network Excellence Index update.
Mobily leads on video streaming, retaining both video experience awards
Mobily successfully defends its video streaming leadership, winning both the Video Experience and 5G Video Experience awards outright.
stc continues to lead on gaming experience
stc has emerged as the sole leader in gaming. The operator successfully converted a previous Joint Win (with Mobily) in Games Experience into an Outright Win, while simultaneously seizing the 5G Games Experience award from Mobily.
Mobily retains reliability experience leadership
Mobily, which won the Reliability Experience award in the previous report, retains the award in this report, taking it outright with 839 points on a 100-1000 point scale and leading second-placed stc by 33 points (stc scores 806). Zain ranks third with 771 points.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
stc and Mobily are winning on different levers of mobile performance: stc sets the pace on speed by leading across the speed metrics and focusing on covering more areas within the kingdom, while Mobily anchors day-to-day experience by retaining the reliability and consistency titles.
At the same time, this report points to a shift in category leadership: stc leads both Games Experience and 5G Games Experience, ahead of Mobily by three and two points, respectively. This gaming leadership serves as an early proof-point for stc’s capital-intensive shift toward 5G Standalone and network slicing.
Yet, the operators' ability to maintain this performance leadership is ultimately bounded by regulatory headroom. These competitive dynamics are therefore heavily conditioned by policy choices, specifically regarding spectrum allocation.The Communications, Space and Technology Commission(CST))’s 600/700/3800MHz spectrum during the auction to all three operators, positioning Saudi Arabia as an early mover in 600MHz licensing for IMT.
Against this backdrop, differentiation is increasingly expressed through distinct capex and platform strategies rather than radio metrics alone. Mobily is decoupling its value proposition from the retail speed race, by pairing network investment with adjacent digital infrastructure — specifically data centers and subsea cables. This approach strengthens its defensive position in the B2B and wholesale sectors and expands their revenue optionality with hyperscalers and international carriers.
Zain KSA, meanwhile, is leaning into low-band 600MHz 5G SA to broaden coverage and improve indoor consistency. The propagation characteristics of 600MHz reduce the number of sites required to achieve comparable population coverage versus higher bands. Deployments in the 600MHz support a more capital-efficient route to nationwide 5G SA scale while improving perceived reliability in challenging indoor environments.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Saudi Arabia — Mobily, stc and Zain — over a period of 90 days starting on October 1, 2025, and ending on December 29, 2025, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Mobily, which won the Video Experience award in the previous report, retains the award in this report, winning outright with 64.5 points on a 100-point scale and leading second-placed stc (62.2 points) by two points, while Zain comes third with 56.5 points. Since the last report, Zain’s score has risen by two points and stc’s by one point, while Mobily’s score has not changed by a significant amount. Stc and Mobily are in the Good (58-68) category, while Zain is 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, while a Fair (48-58) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and substantial 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
In the previous report, stc and Mobily jointly won the Games Experience award, but in this report stc wins outright with a score of 71 points on a 100-point scale, leading second-placed Mobily (68.1 points) by three points, while Zain ranks third with 58 points. Since the last report, Zain’s score has increased by four points, stc’s score has increased by two points, and Mobily’s score has decreased by one point. stc and Mobily are both rated Fair (65-75), while Zain places one category lower in Poor (40-65). A Fair (65-75) rating means users find the experience ‘average’: in most cases the game is responsive to player actions and most users feel in control, although the majority notice a delay between their actions and in-game outcomes. A Poor (40-65) rating means most users find the experience unacceptable: the majority see a delay in gameplay and do not receive immediate feedback on their actions, and many users feel a lack of controllability.
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
After winning the Download Speed Experience award in the previous report, stc retains the title in this report, taking the award outright with a score of 69.3Mbps. This gives stc a 9Mbps lead over second-placed Mobily on 60.3Mbps, while Zain ranks third with 52.1Mbps. Compared with the previous report, Zain’s score has increased by 8Mbps, stc’s by 5Mbps and Mobily’s by 3Mbps.
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
In the previous report, stc won the Upload Speed Experience award, and in this report it wins outright with a score of 14.2Mbps, leading second-placed Mobily by 2Mbps (12.6Mbps), while Zain comes third with 9.9Mbps. Compared with the last report, Zain’s score has increased by 2Mbps, stc’s by 1Mbps, and Mobily’s by less than one Mbps.
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 2026
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- Mecca
- Riyadh
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5G Experience
National Analysis
Mobily, which won the 5G Video Experience award in the previous report, now takes the award outright in this report with 74.5 points on a 100-point scale, leading second-placed stc (72.3 points) by two points, while Zain ranks third with 70.9 points. Since the previous report, Zain’s and stc’s scores have each increased by one point, while Mobily’s score has not changed by a significant amount. All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category, meaning 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
After Mobily won the 5G Games Experience award in the previous report, stc takes the award outright in this report with a score of 80.5 points on a 100-point scale, leading second-placed Mobily (78.6 points) by two points, while Zain ranks third with 67.9 points. Since the last report, Zain’s score has increased by six points, stc’s has increased by one point, and Mobily’s has decreased by two points. stc and Mobily are both rated Good (75-85), meaning most users deem the experience acceptable, gameplay is generally controllable, and users receive immediate feedback with most not experiencing a delay between their actions and the game; Zain is rated one category lower in Fair (65-75), where users find the experience ‘average’, the game is responsive in most cases with most users feeling in control, but the majority notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in 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 winning the 5G Download Speed award in the previous report, stc retains the award in this report, taking it outright with a score of 260.2Mbps and leading second-placed Zain (242.7Mbps) by 18Mbps, while Mobily ranks third at 224.4Mbps. Compared with the last report, Zain’s score has increased by 17Mbps, Mobily’s by 10Mbps, and stc’s by 6Mbps.
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
In the previous report, stc won the 5G Upload Speed award, and in this report it retains the award outright with a score of 29Mbps, leading second-placed Mobily on 28Mbps by 1Mbps, while Zain ranks third on 23.2Mbps. Since the last report, Zain’s score has increased by 4Mbps, Mobily’s by 2Mbps, and stc’s by 1Mbps.
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 2026
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Coverage
National Analysis
After winning the Coverage Experience award in the previous report, stc wins it outright again in this report, scoring 8.4 points on a 10-point scale and leading second-placed Mobily by three points (Mobily scores 5.6 points), while Zain ranks third with 4.4 points. Compared with the previous report, stc’s score has decreased by less than one point, Zain’s score has also decreased by less than one point, and Mobily’s score has not changed a significant amount.
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
In the previous report, stc won the 5G Coverage Experience award, and in this report it wins outright again with a score of 3.2 points on a 10-point scale, leading second-placed Mobily by one point (Mobily scores 1.9 points), while Zain comes third with 1.5 points. Compared with the previous report, stc’s score has increased by less than one point, Mobily’s score has increased by less than one point, and Zain’s score has increased by less than one point.
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
In the previous report, Mobily won the Time on Network award, and in this report it retains the award outright with a score of 98.1%, leading second-placed stc by one percentage point (97.5%), while Zain ranks third on 95.4%. Since the previous report, the scores for stc, Mobily and Zain have not changed by a significant amount. Prior to Q4 2025, Time on Network was referred to as Availability in Opensignal reports.
Definitions
Our time on network and availability metrics are not measures 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 time on network 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 time on network and availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Time on Network 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 2026
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Consistency
National Analysis
Mobily, which won the Consistent Quality award in the previous report, retains the award in this report with a score of 64.7%, leading second-placed stc by four percentage points (60.7%), while Zain ranks third on 43.7%. Since the last report, Zain has recorded the largest improvement, up five percentage points, while stc has increased by two percentage points and Mobily by one percentage point. This metric measures whether 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, assessing experience indicators including 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 throughput, upload throughput, 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
Mobily, which won the Reliability Experience award in the previous report, retains the award in this report, taking it outright with 839 points on a 100-1000 point scale and leading second-placed stc by 33 points (stc scores 806). Zain ranks third with 771 points. Since the last report, Zain’s score has increased by 42 points, while stc’s score has decreased by 14 points and Mobily’s score has decreased by nine points.
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:
% time connected — The proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully connect to a mobile network
Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet
Task completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed
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 2026
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- Abha
- Al Hofuf
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- 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
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in Khamis Mushayt
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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.
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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