Page 24 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Zyda: verification in addition to 360 virtual needs, such as Total’s Starter, Growth and
Fully customizable restaurant delivery walkthrough tours, and more. Enterprise Packages.
platform. MenaiTech: Zain strongly believes in the crucial role
ExpandCart: Providing consultancy services such played by private sector organizations
Offering complete e-commerce tools, as MenaLite Core, MenaLite HR and in supporting social and economic
solutions, and plans that include MenaTracks, as well as MenaCRM that sustainability projects, as well as further
ExpandCart Professional, ExpandCart helps to develop innovation. pushing the entrepreneurial community’s
Ultimate, and ExpandCart Enterprise. Al Othman Pearls: growth in the country. Springing from its
Tendering Center: Helps create comprehensive insurance growing commitment towards practicing
Tendering Center offers a one-year packages for customers’ businesses at a its social responsibility, the company is
tendering plan and notifications designed below-market price. committed to printing a positive print
to facilitate tenderers and bidders. Totals: through all its activities. This has led Zain
Chrysalis Digital: Totals offers multiple packages for to embrace the most influential issues in
Chrysalis General Trading Company marketing, advertising, and content the community, including the support of
helps customers get Google Business creation based on every customer’s entrepreneurship and innovation.

Zain Group Reports a 2% Increase in Net Profit in 2021

Kuwait-based telecoms group Zain has published its consolidated
financial results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2021,
reporting a 5% decrease in revenues year-on-year to KWD1.5
billion (USD5.0 billion), while EBITDA decreased 5% annually to
KWD628 million. The company booked a net profit of KWD186
million in the twelve months under review, up 2% y-o-y. Further,
foreign currency translation impact – mainly due to currency
devaluations in Sudan and Iraq – cost the group USD962 million
in revenue and USD479 million in EBITDA. Zain Group invested
USD1.1 billion in CAPEX (21% of revenues), predominantly in 5G
rollouts in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain; 4G upgrades across
Iraq, Jordan, South Sudan and Sudan; expansion of fiber-to-
the-home (FTTH) infrastructure; and spectrum license fees. In
operational terms, Zain Group reported a consolidated subscription reflects the success of the many operational and monetization
base of 48.9 million at 31 December 2021. In Kuwait subscriptions initiatives implemented by the management across all markets.
decreased 3.8% y-o-y to 2.5 million, while the Saudi Arabian unit The board’s recommendation of KWD0.023 per share dividend
reported eight million subscriptions (up 5.3% y-o-y). Zain Sudan’s for H2 in addition to the semi-annual KWD0.010 dividend,
subscription base stood at 16.6 million at 31 December 2021, totaling KWD0.033 for the year, reflects a 77% payout ratio, one
down 1.8% y-o-y. Zain Iraq, meanwhile, saw its subscription base of the highest in the region. This provides a clear indication of
increase 1.2% y-o-y to serve 16.4 million at end-2021, while the the strength of our financial solvency, and the company’s ability
subscription base in Jordan reached 3.6 million (3.5 million in to execute on its strategic profitable growth plans, despite the
2020). Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group continuing challenges of the pandemic and impact of unavoidable
CEO, commented: ‘The Group’s solid performance for 2021 currency devaluations on the business.’

AT&T Claims 500,000 FWA Subs

AT&T has revealed that it has signed up too many fixed users on a single sector. players have sought to target unserved
more than 500,000 fixed wireless access That becomes complicated. As the years communities. Rival operator T-Mobile US
(FWA) subscriptions to date. In an interview go on, that spectrum becomes congested. recently disclosed that it ended December
with Fierce Wireless, Chris Sambar, What do you do with your FWA customers 2021 with 646,000 FWA subscriptions,
AT&T’s EVP of Technology Operations, at that point? We want to be very careful while Verizon is currently lagging behind,
commented: ‘We’re no stranger to fixed and thoughtful.’ TeleGeography notes serving just 223,000 FWA users at end-
wireless … Fixed wireless has some warts that US FWA uptake has surged in 2021.
on it. It’s got issues where you can’t have recent quarters, as the country’s main

24 FEBRUARY 2022