logo
Stc powers up the Esports World Cup with cutting-edge 5G network

Stc powers up the Esports World Cup with cutting-edge 5G network

Zawyaa day ago
stc group's network for EWC broadens CDN partnerships to ensure faster servers and connectivity speeds for fans worldwide.
stc install 27 mobile network sites to ensure full 5G coverage for the duration of the event.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: stc Group, a leading digital enabler, has announced its early readiness to support the upcoming 2025 edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC). As an Elite and Founding Partner of EWC, stc is deploying cutting-edge technology and robust infrastructure designed to deliver an exceptional, high-performance, and reliable gaming experience for participants and audiences alike.
Following its pivotal role in powering the inaugural EWC in 2024, stc returns this year to support the world's largest gaming event with even more advanced capabilities. Central to this year's network infrastructure are intelligent monitoring systems featuring AI-driven traffic modeling, Self-Optimizing Networks (SON), and closed-loop automation, technologies that provide proactive insights and real-time network adjustments to ensure uninterrupted connectivity throughout the event.
As part of its comprehensive preparations, stc has deployed 27 advanced 5G towers across key tournament areas, including three towers dedicated exclusively to the event center. Within the venue buildings, an extensive indoor solutions network supported by more than 1,295 antennas will deliver high-speed 4G and 5G services, with internet speeds exceeding 2 Gbps ensuring smooth, responsive gameplay and seamless digital engagement.
Additionally, stc has equipped one of the largest operations centers in the region with ultra-high-resolution 168-megapixel displays, enabling real-time monitoring of network performance and service utilization across all EWC facilities. This state-of-the-art center ensures immediate incident response and optimal service quality for both participants and attendees.
To further enhance network efficiency, stc has implemented Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, enabling agile, uninterrupted data flow throughout the tournament. The company has also expanded coverage across the venue by over 20% compared to last year, ensuring stronger and more consistent connectivity.
In the 2024 EWC, stc's integrated digital infrastructure played a crucial role in the tournament's success, delivering 99.9% network availability and ultra-low latency. This allowed players to enjoy a world-class gaming experience aligned with the highest international standards.
These efforts earned stc the prestigious 'Platinum Operator' award from the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission for the eighth consecutive year, as highlighted in the annual GameMode report further solidifying its leadership in digital infrastructure and telecommunications services within the esports sector.
With its continued investment and innovation, stc reaffirms its position as a key enabler of digital transformation and a driving force in the growth of esports in the Kingdom. Through strategic infrastructure expansion and smart technologies, stc ensures a secure, fully connected, and globally competitive digital experience at EWC 2025 and beyond.
About stc group:
stc group is a digital enabler, offering advanced solutions and driving a role in the digitalization process. The group provides a comprehensive suite of services encompassing digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), digital payments, digital media, and digital entertainment. The group comprises 13 subsidiaries across The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oman revises rules for bank transfers, makes IBAN mandatory
Oman revises rules for bank transfers, makes IBAN mandatory

Khaleej Times

time23 minutes ago

  • Khaleej Times

Oman revises rules for bank transfers, makes IBAN mandatory

The Central Bank of Oman had earlier announced that the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) will be mandatory for all domestic financial transactions From July 1, 2025, Oman has implemented a new requirement for all financial transfers. The Central Bank of Oman had earlier announced that the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) will be mandatory for all domestic financial transactions. It also added that international transactions will accepted without an IBAN now. The IBAN was made mandatory for international transfers on March 31, 2024. According to the Central Bank of Oman, this initiative has significantly improved transaction accuracy, reduced errors, and accelerated processing times for both local and international bank transfers. On the Emirates NBD app in the UAE, users have seen an awareness message that asks them to delete and re-add beneficiaries in Oman with their IBAN. The advisory says, "In line with new regulatory mandates, IBAN is now a mandatory requirement for all payments to Sultanate of Oman, starting from July,1 2025." It added: "Please delete and re-add your beneficiaries in Oman using their IBAN to avoid payment failures. Kindly note a cooling period of 4 hours will apply for newly added beneficiaries." What is IBAN? The IBAN or International Bank Account Number is a standardised way to identify any bank account anywhere in the world, designed to make sending money across borders much less of a headache. It's like a universal postal code for a bank account that includes the country (like "AE" for the UAE), some security digits, and regular account details all rolled into one. Earlier, before the system was created, delays and mix-ups were common as banks couldn't properly identify where payments should go. Now, with IBAN covering most of Europe, the Middle East, and parts of the Caribbean, money gets where it needs to go faster and with fewer costly errors. This number doesn't replace the regular account number – it's just an extra layer that helps banks around the world speak the same language when handling international payments.

The rise of private wealth hubs: Is Dubai really the ‘Geneva of the Gulf'?
The rise of private wealth hubs: Is Dubai really the ‘Geneva of the Gulf'?

Khaleej Times

time42 minutes ago

  • Khaleej Times

The rise of private wealth hubs: Is Dubai really the ‘Geneva of the Gulf'?

In the constantly evolving global wealth landscape, Dubai is emerging as one of the most strategically positioned private wealth hubs, bridging the East and the West. Comparisons to Geneva or Singapore are often made, but the UAE's model is distinct and unique. It is policy led, future focused, and increasingly family office friendly. Wealth is migrating, and not just geographically. High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), and family offices are looking for more than just tax efficiency or luxury. They want stability and security, proximity to emerging markets, strong legal and regulatory frameworks, access to top-tier talent and services, and residency and lifestyle incentives for intergenerational wealth. Dubai absolutely ticks all of these boxes and more, and increasingly, it is doing so with world-class policies and infrastructure. The UAE's ambition to become a private wealth capital is no longer just an aspiration, it is a reality that is accelerating at a fast pace. Key drivers include progressive regulation, with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) offering internationally aligned legal structures and new family office frameworks. DIFC's Global Family Business and Private Wealth Centre, launched in 2022, was the first of its kind worldwide, offering licensing, concierge services, and transition planning. Long-term residency and lifestyle incentives are among the UAE's most compelling advantages. The Golden Visa, Green Visa, and retirement residency schemes provide families with enduring stability and effortless international mobility. Coupled with a tax-free lifestyle, the UAE offers an exceptionally high standard of living that caters to every demographic, rooted in exceptional levels of convenience, safety, wellness, and community. When combined with world-class education and healthcare, these attributes firmly position the UAE as one of the most desirable and secure places in the world to live, work, invest and raise a family. Dubai's geostrategic location is also crucial. Within an eight-hour flight of 80 per cent of the global population, it is a central hub between Europe, Asia, and Africa. The city is now a top choice for family offices relocating from across the World. We are also witnessing a redefinition of family offices, from traditional wealth preservation to direct investment in startups and infrastructure, philanthropy and ESG alignment, succession planning and next-gen entrepreneurship, and co-investment platforms and private syndicates. Dubai is positioning itself not just as a storage vault, but as a catalyst for family-driven innovation and capital deployment. What truly makes a wealth hub sustainable is not just policy, it is reputation, regulation and expertise. Dubai is attracting top private bankers, wealth advisers, legal experts, and investment consultants from around the world. But beyond technical competence, there's an emerging ecosystem built on discretion and confidentiality, multi-generational advisory, Sharia-compliant structuring options, and cultural fluency combined with international connectivity. Dubai is reimagining what a private wealth capital can be. Flexible, global, future-facing and deeply rooted in regional growth. As families around the world seek purpose and structure in how they manage their legacies, the UAE offers them a home and a strategic platform for generations to come. This transformation is part of a broader strategy by the UAE to align its financial ecosystem with global best practices whilst maintaining the agility and openness that attracts mobile capital. Whereas Geneva and Singapore established their reputations as global wealth centers over the course of several decades, Dubai is attaining a comparable stature within just a generation! The conversation has therefore shifted from questioning whether Dubai can emerge as a private wealth hub, to examining how it will define the next chapter in global private capital stewardship. The writer is director of business development – Middle East at Colliers.

Dubai Duty Free posts record half-year sales with revenue of Dh4.118 billion
Dubai Duty Free posts record half-year sales with revenue of Dh4.118 billion

Khaleej Times

timean hour ago

  • Khaleej Times

Dubai Duty Free posts record half-year sales with revenue of Dh4.118 billion

Dubai Duty Free on Wednesday announced that half-year sales posted a 5.34 per cent year-on-year increase, with turnover reaching Dh4.118 billion ($1.128 billion) for the first six months of 2025. This exceeded last year's previous record turnover for the first half of the year by Dh208.95 million. The airport retailer recorded robust growth in April, May and the first half of June, with sales buoyed by a surge in travel over the Eid holiday and the early summer travel season. Dubai Duty Free managing director Ramesh Cidambi said: 'We are very pleased with our record performance for the first half of 2025. Whilst we await the final passenger numbers for June 2025, the spend per passenger is likely to be better than last year June. This performance is a testament to our team's hard work and the strength of Dubai as a global travel hub.' Perfumes, beverages, cigarettes & tobacco, gold and confectionery retained the top five category positions. Perfume sales reached Dh744.24 million, contributing 18 per cent of total revenue and showing an increase of five per cent over the same period last year. Beverages followed with sales of Dh513.37 million, while cigarettes & tobacco sales rose 12.24 per cent year-on-year with sales of Dh439.91 million. Gold sales amounted to Dh416.90 million, contributing 10.12 per cent of total revenue and an increase of 6.14 per cent. Confectionery in particular continued to demonstrate strong growth, achieving Dh412.52 million, marking an 62.70 per cent increase over the same period last year and accounting for 10 per cent of total revenue. Another notable increase was seen in cosmetics, which rose by 3.36 per cent to Dh201.51 million contributing 4.89 per cent of total revenue. Spending trends across terminals continued to increase with duty free sales in Terminal 3 increasing by 6.37 per cent for the first half of the year, while Terminal 1 rose by 5.25 per cent. All key passenger regions showed positive sales during the first half of the year, with Europe up 16.89 per cent, the Russian region up 4.41 per cent, the Indian-sub continent up 1.02 per cent and the Middle East up 8.15 per cent. Looking ahead, Dubai Duty Free will continue to enhance its retail operation following the successful renovations of its three Arrivals Shops in the first half of the year. The company remains optimistic for the second half of the year, with preparations underway a busy summer and traditional busy last quarter. 'We are looking forward to an equally busy second half of the year. Plans are very much in place for the opening of three luxury boutiques in Terminal 3 Concourse A including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier,' added Cidambi.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store