Zain KSA is partnering with NVIDIA, the leader in accelerated computing, to launch the first 5G cloud gaming platform GeForce NOW in Saudi Arabia.

GeForce NOW is a cloud gaming service that streams PC games from popular digital game stores — including Steam, Epic Games Store, and soon GOG.com — which gamers can conveniently access on multiple devices without the need for any particular hardware. The platform offers gamers access to 300+ games they can enjoy on multiple devices anywhere, without the need for downloads and with automatic updates and unlimited storage.
 
Cloud gaming enables users to run games on remote servers and stream them directly to their devices. The actual game is stored, executed and rendered on the remote operator’s servers without the need for high capability end-user devices.
 
Commenting on the agreement, Zain KSA’s Communication Vice President Mr. Rayan bin Abdullah Al-Turki stated: “At Zain there is nothing more rewarding to us than catering to the needs of our digital generation here in Saudi, considered a world-class tech-savvy generation of more than 5.8 million e-gaming users. With an ever-growing niche, user penetration is expected to reach 13.4% in 2020 and 17.5% by 2025. This partnership serves as an excellent opportunity that will provide both novel content and super-fast internet speed, very low latency, and a superior capacity through fiber, which will ultimately offer them a whole new gaming experience. Our efforts in the gaming industry were evident from the start of launching our 5G network where we supported national E-Sports tournaments. At Zain we pledge to continue to strive to enhance the overall e-gaming experience by offering unique and innovative services.”
 
Al-Turki highlighted the benefits of the agreement with GeForce NOW for users of all ages and segments. “Through this unique offering, Zain KSA combines the latest technologies with the best content and the most convenient accessibility anywhere and from any device. GeForce NOW is an end-to-end digital journey that will redefine online gaming, promising the best gaming experience without the need for hardware investments, high storage, or complicated processor requirements.”
 
This partnership complements Zain KSA’s vision to remain at the lead of the Saudi digital transformation journey by bringing ultramodern innovations to the Kingdom’s community, which helps serve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 that includes enriching the entertainment industry and the quality of life for all.
 
Notably, the company achieved first place in its 5G deployment in various cities of the kingdom with a total coverage of 50 cities enabled by more than 4,700 towers. Whereby its 5G network features a well-invested infrastructure that is continually upgrading to accommodate greater expansion and higher market penetration by increasing coverage in existing 5G cities already covered, and this expansion is being updated weekly onto Zain’s 5G coverage map on the website. In parallel, Zain KSA is the first telecom operator worldwide to offer the 5G carrier aggregation feature, enabling superfast internet speeds of up to 2.4 Gbps.
 
It is worth mentioning that Opensignal, the independent global standard for analyzing consumer mobile experience, has granted Zain KSA three awards: “Best 5G Download Speed,” “Best Download Speed Experience - 5G User,” and “Best 5G Availability.” Further, Zain KSA won the SpeedTest award for the fastest fixed internet in the Kingdom, granted by the global company Ookla in 2020. Zain KSA also ranked first in the “Meqyas” report issued by CITC in the fourth quarter of 2020 for the fastest fixed internet and the broadest 5G coverage in the Kingdom.