Saudi Arabia’s fixed communications services market is entering a high-growth phase, powered by rising demand for broadband and declining reliance on traditional fixed voice services.
Credit: Freepik
Total fixed communications revenue is expected to rise at a CAGR of 9.9 percent from 2025 to 2030. Fixed broadband revenue will grow even faster at a 12.9 percent CAGR, supported by strong uptake of fixed wireless access (FWA) and continued nationwide fiber expansion, according to GlobalData’s Saudi Arabia Total Fixed Communications Forecast (Q3 2025).
Broadband Becomes the Core Growth Engine
The fixed services market is experiencing a clear structural shift. Fixed voice revenue is projected to decline at a 9.6 percent CAGR between 2025 and 2030 as users continue to migrate from circuit-switched voice to mobile and app-based communications, GlobalData report said.
In contrast, fixed broadband services, including FWA and fiber-to-the-home or building (FTTH/B), form the nucleus of market growth.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 targets aim to extend high-quality broadband coverage to 90 percent of homes in densely populated urban areas and 66 percent of homes in less dense urban centers by 2030. These goals are creating a strong policy foundation for operator investment in fiber builds and wireless broadband expansion across the Kingdom.
Historical trends reinforce this momentum. GlobalData’s earlier country analyses indicate double-digit fixed broadband revenue growth in recent years, driven by both subscriber additions and growing adoption of higher-speed plans.
Market Structure Led by STC, Mobily and Zain KSA
STC is the largest fixed broadband provider in Saudi Arabia, commanding approximately 59 percent of total fixed broadband subscriptions, which translates to about 1.8 million subscribers as of December 2024, Opensignal said in a report.
Mobily is the second-largest provider, with around 600,000 fixed broadband subscribers, representing roughly 19.4 percent of the market.
Zain holds the third position, with about 470,000 fixed broadband users, accounting for approximately 15.2 percent of the market.
Together, these three operators account for an estimated 93.5 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions in Saudi Arabia, reflecting a highly concentrated market where stc leads by a substantial margin, followed by Mobily and Zain.
Measurement firms note that FWA accounts for nearly one in five broadband connections in the country. This is made possible by strong 5G availability, with networks covering about 78 percent of the population by early 2025. This extensive 5G footprint supports residential and enterprise broadband services that rely on high-capacity wireless connectivity.
Hybrid Broadband Strategy: Fiber Plus FWA
Saudi operators are increasingly pursuing hybrid broadband strategies. FWA enables rapid deployment in suburban and rural areas where fiber installation can be costly or logistically challenging. Fiber remains the preferred technology in dense urban zones and for enterprise customers requiring top-tier speeds and reliability.
These strategies align with regulatory priorities, including the Communications, Space and Technology Commission’s Spectrum Outlook for 2025 to 2027, which focuses on efficient spectrum use to support next-generation wireless broadband technologies such as FWA.
Performance data from independent measurement firms shows varied strengths among operators in speed, consistency and quality of broadband experience, reflecting healthy competition within the market.
STC invests heavily in network infrastructure that underpins fixed broadband and mobile broadband services, including extensive fiber deployment and 5G network expansion. The company has prioritized fiber connectivity for over 3.6 million households and expanded its international and domestic infrastructure footprint, such as data centers and subsea cables, as part of its strategic Capex allocation. While specific fixed broadband Capex figures are not separately disclosed, these investments support both fixed fiber broadband rollouts and fixed wireless access (FWA) across the Kingdom.
Mobily has demonstrated aggressive Capex growth, with SAR 2.13 billion reported in capital expenditure during Q1 2025 focused on expanding 5G networks, enhancing spectrum capacity, and building data centers and submarine connectivity. A portion of this investment underpin’s Mobily’s fixed broadband strategy, especially its 5G-based FWA and fiber to the home (FTTH) deployments, with fiber subscriber numbers (e.g., nearly 290,000 FTTH customers) rising alongside network build-outs.
Zain KSA has also been active in expanding its network with a Capex of SAR 668 million recorded in the first nine months of 2025, supported by refinancing to fund future network investments. Earlier investment plans included a SAR 1.6 billion deployment commitment to extend 5G coverage to over 122 cities and enhance network capacity — spending that supports Zain’s fixed broadband via 5G FWA and broader connectivity services.
Consumer and Enterprise Benefits
The hybrid rollout strategy brings significant advantages to households and businesses.
Residential users benefit from faster service activation through FWA and enhanced performance and reliability through fiber.
Enterprise customers gain from improved capacity, reduced latency and better support for cloud applications, remote work and digital transformation.
Small and medium businesses leverage FWA’s quick setup and scalable performance backed by robust 5G networks.
Global and Regional Broadband Context
GSMA Intelligence report highlights global adoption of fixed broadband and FWA, with Saudi Arabia emerging as a key contributor to this trend. The region’s broadband landscape continues to evolve with rising gigabit speeds and operator initiatives aimed at enhancing service quality.
Vision 2030 and Policy Direction
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework plays a pivotal role in shaping the sector. High-speed broadband coverage targets and CST’s spectrum policies are enabling operators to modernize networks and expand digital access. These policy initiatives support investment certainty and reinforce broadband infrastructure as a core enabler of national economic diversification.
Fasna Shabeer
