DIGITAL INNOVATION 4TH EDITIONDIGITAL INNOVATION 5TH EDITION

EMPOWERING POSSIBILITIESCharting Zain Group's digital innovation developments during 2019

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Contents

2 Empowering possibilities To ensure the success of its 4Sight strategy, Zain Group leveraged the talent of its progressive workforce to seek opportunities in new, lucrative areas including the milestone launch of 5G services

3 Confidence through performance

2019 was an incredible operational year for Zain, reflected by strong profit growth across all markets

4 Benefits of the circular economyZain Group’s annual thought leadership report details how the circular economy helps to address some of the devastating impacts of climate change

8 Stronger, together

Zain’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives are compelling and comprehensive, fostering understanding and offering great life and work opportunities to all employees

9 Innovate or perishIn rapidly changing ecosystems defined by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the need to evolve the organization to extract maximum value is highly relevant to Zain

10 Strategic developments at ZainAn overview of significant advancements across operations in 2019WE

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To ensure the success of its 4Sight strategy, Zain Group is leveraging the talent of its pro-gressive workforce and seeking opportunities centered on evolving the telco’s core business to maximize value and selectively investing in lucrative growth verticals. The company has been extremely active in the regulatory arena regarding spectrum acquisition and in seeking support from regulators and other govern-ment authorities. In Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the allocation of these spectrum bands facili-tated the milestone launch of 5G services, as is also the case with Bahrain, which will soon launch the exciting new technology.

The successful launch of 5G in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest commercial rollout, is a clear indicator of Zain’s passion for 5G technology and its ability to provide customers a superior mobile experience. The company is mobilizing resources to capitalize on the enormous prospects that 5G technol-ogy provides, creating vast opportunities in the value chain proposition in numerous in-dustries, including enterprise (B2B) services to government and businesses of all sizes. 5G is set to push the telecom sector to a new and thrilling phase of growth.

Empowering possibilities

Zain Group’s Risk Management team is at the forefront of raising and implementing cyber security initiatives within the organization. The team has been proactive in raising awareness of the impor-tance of cyber resilience, while also being active in ensuring the implementation of cutting-edge technology and solutions geared at cyber securing the company’s digital data.

As digitization gains pace and the integration of systems becomes commonplace, it has become clear that cyber security is not just an IT issue, it is an organizational one. As such, it needs to be ad-dressed strategically within the company rather than just tactically.

Accordingly, sharing information is fundamental to improving cyber security posture and Group Risk Management has held awareness sessions and developed material for a year-long cyber security awareness program to be implemented by all operating companies. Furthermore, the team holds an annual Risk Synergy Forum bringing in security experts and risk teams from across all its operations.

The program, with a slogan of PAUSE, THINK, ACT, has developed into an ongoing initiative, and is updated regularly with the latest trends in cyber security risks.

In early 2020, Zain Kuwait completed the sale and leaseback of the passive physical infrastructure of its 1,620 mobile tower portfolio to IHS Holding Limited for US$ 130 million (KD 40 million). The transaction is the first sale and leaseback of telecom towers in the Middle East region by a licensed mobile operator.

Under the terms of the transaction, Zain is selling only its passive, physical infrastructure to a new purposely created entity and will retain its intelligent software, technology and intellectual prop-erty with respect to managing its network.

PAUSE, THINK, ACT: Cyber security is a strategic issue

Zain pioneers tower sale and leaseback

5G strategy and beyond

Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, Bader Al-Kharafi, believes 5G will push the telecom sector to a new and thrilling phase of growth

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Zain Iraq has received a formal letter extend-ing its 2G and 3G license for five years com-mencing August 2022, with ongoing discus-sions regarding the granting of 4G spectrum.

SudanDespite the country’s socio-economic issues during 2019 including currency devalua-tion, Zain Sudan continued to perform well in local currency SDG terms, driven by the rollout of appealing data monetization ini-tiatives powered by its 4G network. This re-sulted in impressive annual growth of data revenue. The operation serves the largest customer base in the Group with 15.9 mil-lion customers at the end of 2019.

Jordan The operation in Jordan maintains market leadership, serving 3.6 million customers and recording improved net income in 2019. Significant investments were made on its nuclear grade data center, named ‘The Bun-ker’, as well as 4G and FTTH expansion. The

operator is undergoing many transformation initiatives for its planned rollout of commercial 5G services.

Bahrain Zain Bahrain is preparing for the imminent rollout of com-mercial 5G services in the first half of 2020. Cost optimization and other initiatives saw the operator improve its EBITDA margin substantially and net income increased during 2019.

LebanonZain has managed the touch operation in Lebanon since 2004 on behalf of the Telecom Ministry, taking the operation to new heights in terms of network capabilities, efficiency and rolling out appealing data monetization ser-vices. Zain remains committed to supporting the development of Lebanon’s mobile sector.

KuwaitThe operation maintained its market leadership, and as the first player to launch commercial 5G services in the country in June 2019, Zain Kuwait triumphantly rolled out numerous innovative digital ser-vices to enterprises and individual customers. The company went on to attain the largest market share of 5G customers in Kuwait and enhanced its B2B offerings to the appeal of numerous government and enterprise entities. The operator made substantial progress in its digital transformation in line with the country’s 2035 Vision, ending the year with 2.8 million customers.

Saudi ArabiaThe impressive performance of Zain Saudi Arabia was no doubt the highlight of the year for the Group, with the operator recording its highest ever financial re-sults since its establishment. The rollout of the largest commercial 5G network in the region, combined with expansion of FTTH services and the launch of numer-ous data monetization initiatives were instrumental to its successful turnaround.

The operator bolstered performance and perpetu-ated the successful digital transformation process in support of the targets of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The operator had 7.6 million customers at the end of 2019.

IraqContinuing its upward trajectory, and against a backdrop of a highly competitive landscape and economic and political challenges, Zain Iraq delivered double-digit increases in both EBITDA and net profit serving 15.7 million customers. The company’s focus on customer ex-perience, retention and loyalty initiatives, services expansion across the country and cost transformation, combined with growth of data and digital revenue, were key drivers of this impressive performance.

2019 was an incredible year for Zain Group, reflected by determined operating performances

Confidence through performance

Operational success

2019 was an incredible operational year for Zain, reflected by strong profit growth across all markets.

Group Key Performance Indicators in 2019Total Active Customers 49.5 million Consolidated Revenue USD 5.5 billion, up 26% EBITDA USD 2.4 billion, up 40%EBITDA Margin 44% Net Income USD 715 million, up 10%

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Today, people all over the world are producing an astounding 3.6 million tons of solid waste per day. It is estimated that by 2025, this amount will reach 6.1 million tons per day

Benefits of the circular economy

Zain Group recently published its annual thought leadership report, The Circular Econ-omy: Embedding Sustainable Solutions in a bid to Save the Planet. In it, the company details how the circular economy fits into helping to address some of the devastating impacts of climate change. This type of eco-nomic model is essentially based on the prin-ciples of designing out waste and pollution; keeping products and materials in use; and regenerating natural systems.

Current linear economic models utilize raw and non-renewable materials to create prod-ucts and once the product is consumed it becomes waste, which is neither efficient nor sustainable. The negative impact of ineffi-cient economic models is real and growing.

The planet is clearly at a point where it cannot withstand the waste generated from human activity. Today, people all over the world are producing an astounding 3.6 million tons of solid waste per day. It is estimated that by 2025, this amount will reach 6.1 million tons per day.

Zain’s latest report explores the definition of the circular economy and its various dynamics, comparing it to the linear economy model. The insight also highlights risks of the linear model, while providing views on the critical role technology plays in the circular economy and identifies initiatives undertaken by Zain in this regard.

Uncollected waste and waste directed to open landfills is extremely common across the Middle East, though the current state of digiti-zation offers compelling solutions to help address the negative im-pact of excess waste, with the emergence of nascent technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Thought Leadership

TVsComputer Monitors

PrintersKeyboardsCablesDigital,Video,

Cameras

Examples of E-waste

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Plastic waste in gen-eral is a large issue in Kuwait as it has been estimated that 18% of solid waste in the country is plastic, weighing in at ap-proximately 200,000 tons.

In Bahrain, Zain rec-ognized the nega-tive impact of selling products that turn

into e-waste and in a bid to mitigate this, partnered with the Supreme Council for the Environment and Crown Industries to intro-duce sustainable, long-term solutions in this area. The company also launched school campaigns, competitions and conducted awareness sessions in schools and champi-oned a call-to-action for the public to collect e-waste and encouraged other companies to participate in similar initiatives.

Zain hopes that through this forward-look-ing thought leadership report, the public and governments will be inspired to act in a manner that benefits the planet and all those who inhabit it.

Given the current extreme weather conditions and the urgency for pol-icymakers; businesses and govern-ments to address climate change, Zain was compelled to focus this year’s report on the circular econo-my. The flexibility and adaptability of the model also helps address multiple Sustainable Development Goals (6,8,11,12,13,14,15) as artic-ulated by the United Nations.

The circular economy can eas-ily be embedded into the Informa-tion, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector. For businesses, it encourages greater innovation with respect to business models as it pushes such companies to develop innovations in the area of waste management. Technology driven organizations can educate consum-ers and provide them with options on how to reuse and recycle digital

products. This step can open doors by educating customers on how to save money, as well as shedding light on the pres-ence and activities of waste management companies.

With technological products, devices and services being used by so many people, most gadgets end up in landfills af-

ter use, with just 22% of used elec-tronics being recycled. Moreover, with the introduction of 5G, numer-ous devices that are not compat-ible with the technology will be dis-carded. Recent studies reveal that 48 million tons of e-waste are produced every year. According to The World Economic Forum, e-waste is cur-rently considered the fastest growing source of waste today.

Implementing the circular economy helps address multiple Sustainable Development Goals

Jennifer Suleiman, Zain Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, believes the implementation of the circular economy is well suited to the MENA region, and it is therefore particularly relevant to be raising the model’s benefits at this point in time

The circular economy model is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution; keeping products and materials in use; and regenerating natural systems

Thought Leadership

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Zain Group has made it clear that innovation and first-mover advantage are strategies it believes are central to its ongoing successes and development across its geographic footprint. While others have taken a slow-er and more cautious approach to the deployment of nascent 5G networks, for example, Zain has taken a bold and pioneering position with respect to the early commercial deployment of the technology, supported by its stalwart technology partner, Huawei.

In June 2019, the Zain Group flagship operation in Kuwait, befittingly announced the introduction of its 5G Internet bundles for post-paid customers, a month

As the first operator to launch commercial 5G services in Kuwait in June 2019, Zain temporarily changed the name of its network to “Hello 5G” and triumphantly rolled out numerous innovative digital services to enterprises and individual customers. The company has since established the largest 5G subscriber base in the market

HUAWEI POWERS 5G NETWORKS ACROSS ZAIN FOOTPRINT

after the company had communicated the full readiness of its network for the first commercial launch of 5G nationwide in the country. As a mark of this mile-stone achievement, in the middle of June, Zain Kuwait temporarily changed the name of its network to “Hello 5G”, which was a well-covered gesture.  

Working closely with Huawei to place user experience at the heart of the rollout of 5G services and applications, an early use case for the technology in Kuwait is for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), which can be considered a direct extension and progression of the current 4G LTE networks. It offers faster con-nections, higher throughput and more capacity.

A second early use case for 5G is Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLCC), which means a 5G network is reliable for mission critical applications

that require uninterrupted and robust data exchange. Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) are also set to be a prime 5G-driven development, allowing networks to serve as infra-structure and enabler for new applica-tions that are expected to mature in the near future.  

Following the landmark introduction of 5G in Kuwait, Zain raised the size and scope of its deployment of the technol-ogy in an impressive way in the King-dom of Saudi Arabia, where in October 2019 it announced the launch of the first phase of its rollout in that market. Huawei ensured there were no half-measures taken, with the infrastructure being rolled out to a network of 2,000 towers that covered an area of over 20 cities in the Kingdom, making it the largest 5G deployment in the Middle East and Africa at the time and the third-largest in the entire world.

Zain Saudi Arabia gradually expanded the Huawei-powered network to cover a total of 27 cities in the Kingdom

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In October 2019, Zain Saudi Arabia launched its 5G rollout. Huawei ensured there were no half measures taken, playing a pivotal role in the infrastructure being rolled out to 27 cities through 2,600 towers by the end of the year, the largest 5G network in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and third largest globally

utilising 2,600 towers by the end of 2019. The phased rollout continues to re-ceive close support from Huawei, with the bilateral work by both companies set to further develop 5G and bring more digital services to this important market.

Huawei’s close relationship with Zain and knowledge of the company’s desire to expand its innovations to its other markets led to the attainment of another regional 5G first as Zain Group announced its operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia successfully launched the first 5G roaming service across the MENA region. Download speeds reach as high as 500 Mbps for both outbound and inbound roaming.  

Zain Kuwait and Zain Saudi Arabia between them count over 550 4G and 3G roaming agreements in over 215 countries, with the latest breakthrough 5G roaming agreement opening countless opportunities to further enhance the mobile experience for Zain customers as they travel the world, and as 5G be-comes more widespread with the advent of more 5G devices.  

The roaming agreement between the two Zain op-erations sets the foundation for further 5G roaming agreements within the Zain Group and beyond. Zain’s pioneering approach to 5G means as soon as compat-ible devices begin to ship in commercial numbers the mobile operator’s networks will be ready and capable to provide 5G services to customers immediately.  

Zain prides itself with aligning with leading technol-ogy players that can help it achieve its strategic objec-tives while understanding the company’s pioneering culture. In Huawei, Zain has found such a partner, and together the two companies continue to advance the telecommunications experience for users across the region, and stand as an example of what can be achieved when vision meets resolve.

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A core part of Zain’s corporate strategy is the creation of positive socio-economic impacts across the region, which begin within the company. Priorities within Zain’s sustainability efforts include, but are not limited to, contrib-uting to the socio-economic development of the company’s operating countries; aligning to climate change targets and developing its employees, all of which ultimately leads to a more successful and profitable organization.

In Zain’s view, digital and technological ad-vancements offer endless opportunities to not only address negative impacts but create positive ones. Through digitization, the com-pany’s wide range of services, and reach, Zain aims to unlock the many opportunities that

Zain Group received the Best Gender Diversity Initiative in the Workplace for a Corporate in MENA region for 2019 accolade for its Groupwide Women Empowerment Program

Offering strategic support to Mentor Arabia, an organization that empowers Arab children and youth through mentorship, Zain is having a positive impact on society

Stronger, together

Diversity & Inclusion

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer, as sustainability is part of the company’s DNA. Most recently, for example, Zain became a member of the Climate Disclosure Project, thus paving the way to a structured reduction of its negative environmental footprint.

Zain’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives are among the most compelling and comprehensive of any organization in the region. The work that the company currently does to foster understand-ing and offer great life and work opportunities to all employees is truly inspiring.

Initiatives that fall under Zain’s D&I focus, to name just a few, in-clude Gender Diversity (Women Empowerment); the aim for Zain to become Disability Inclusive by 2022 (WE ABLE); becoming a signatory to the International Labor Organization (ILO) Global Busi-ness and Disability Network Charter; partnering with Mentor Ara-bia to empower, upskill and protect the region’s youth, and Zain’s

Generation Z graduate pro-gram (ZY); and the company’s internal innovation program (ZAINIAC).

These D&I-based programs have all become central to Zain’s development as an organization, with their over-whelming success seeing the company’s operations imme-diately enjoying many direct benefits as well as being ap-preciated by people inside the company and external stakeholders alike.

Zain’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives are among the most compelling and comprehensive of any organization in the region, with Gender Diversity (Women Empowerment) being a core component

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In rapidly changing ecosystems de-fined by the Fourth Industrial Revo-lution and a greater demand for ac-countability, the need to evolve the organization to extract maximum value while implementing a more responsive approach to the envi-ronment is highly relevant to Zain. Across the company’s footprint, over 7,000 dedicated Zainers con-tinue to strive to provide customers Meaningful Connectivity through a tailored range of services to help the communities served lead better lives.

Throughout 2019, Zain Group in-vested over US$ 1 billion in CAPEX, predominantly in expansion of Fi-ber-to-the-Home (FTTH) infrastructure; spectrum fees; 4G upgrades and new network sites across its markets, as well as major 5G rollouts in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to supporting digital transformation aspirations, this huge investment is paying off as reflected by the 36% annual growth in the Group’s consolidated data revenue, which reached US$ 2 billion, representing 36% of the Group’s revenue for 2019.

4Sight strategy gains momentumZain’s 4Sight strategy is taking shape, based on evolving the com-pany’s core telecom business to maximize value and building on the organization’s many strengths to selectively invest in growth verticals beyond standard mobile services. This approach supports Zain’s vi-sion of becoming a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider.

Committed to assisting create the region’s digital future, Zain seeks verticals that fall within four categories.

1. Disruptive, whereby these digital business models show signs of success at a global level but are yet to be established regionally.

2. Scaled, whereby new opportunities can exist as standalone cores and can be scaled regionally across the company’s footprint and beyond.

3. Ecosystem, whereby Zain seeks complementarities between se-lected business models in order to propel growth complying with the UN’s Sustainable Developments Goals.

4. Capability leverage, aiming to use existing differentiating capa-bilities to obtain a competitive advantage and accelerate growth.

Zain is helping organizations unlock opportunities in various industries to fast-track growth and help them benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT) in an efficient, safer and faster way

5G is set to drive a whole new set of business and consumer applications to the benefit of society at large

Innovate or perish

Digital Innovation

Digital initiativesZain is establishing structures and entering key partnerships in the fintech and e-Health arena, and opening its APIs across key mar-kets to offer appealing entertain-ment services, and reap the lucra-tive opportunities in the digital space. By the end of 2019, Zain’s API digital partnerships provided Direct Operator Billing and at-tracted content providers such as Apple, Google, DOCOMO Digi-tal, OSN, Digital Virgo, EROS and Centili, resulting in over three mil-lion monthly transactions.

Debuting in Kuwait in October 2018, Zain’s Drone-as-a-Service has undertaken several proof-of-concepts and formed numerous industry alliances, unlocking opportunities to fast-track growth and help organizations benefit from the Internet of Things in an efficient, safer and faster way. During 2019, Zain Drone attained ISO 9001:2015 certification and Zain Drone Saudi Arabia was established, marking the first step to expanding Zain Drone’s presence across the region.

Zain Drone expands to Saudi Arabia

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• Partnered Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conferences in Kuwait and Lebanon, with the aim to inspire and educate data

scientists, regard-less of gender, and to support Arab women in the field.

• Six talented Kuwaiti graduates enter fourth edition of the ‘Generation Z’ program.

• Strategic agreement between Zain Saudi Arabia and DETASAD, an ICT powerhouse in enhancing, developing and growing cloud and managed services across the Kingdom.

• Publication of thought leadership report entitled Social Innovation: The Fusion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a New Generational Mindset, identifying numerous benefits and opportunities ICT technology and social innovation brings to humanity, businesses, civil society and governments.

• Neom Bay Airport becomes the first in the region to offer 5G services, featuring speeds of 1,000 Mbps.

Powered by Zain Saudi Arabia, which also placed the first 5G phone call in the region.

• Zain Kuwait launches Zain Kids, a safe and fun digital space for children, in partnership with DoCoMo Digital.

Strategic developments at Zain in 2019

• Zain Saudi Arabia enters MoU with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to promote private cloud computing for businesses in the Kingdom.

• touch, managed by Zain, partners 12th edition of MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Start-up Competition.

January April

February

March

May

June

• Publication of eighth annual sustainability report, titled Time to Act, a call-to-action for society to pull together to address key global challenges.

• Zain Group and EXFO Inc jointly recognized with 5G MENA award for Best Telecom Service Innovation for utilizing AI and machine learning technology to introduce new products and services.

• Zain Iraq becomes first operator in the Middle East to introduce purchase solution via Facebook app on phones.

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• Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC) in Jordan celebrated its fifth anniversary, recording 165,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and activities supporting the start-up ecosystem in the Kingdom. Zain Jordan also launched the fourth Zain AlMubadara entrepreneurial incubation program.

• Zain Drone enters memorandum of understanding with BHGE for digital inspections, aiming to reduce safety risks, operator error and time in energy sector.

• Utilizing world-class AI solutions, Zain Kuwait’s smart assistant, zBot, extends its availability on WhatsApp, allowing customers to chat directly in a fully automated manner.

• Zain Cash collaborates with UNHCR and IrisGuard to introduce iris technology for cash disbursements to refugees in Iraq.

• Zain Group launches the ‘WE ABLE’ initiative, aiming to be Disability Inclusive by 2022 and provide more jobs and training for

people with special needs. The company also signed up to the International Labor Organization (ILO) Global Business and Disability Network Charter.

• Zain Kuwait kicks-off fifth edition of Zain Great Idea accelerator program.

• In partnership with Boubyan Bank, Zain announces plans for the development of the first digital platform for Islamic banking services, marking one of the first digital alliances in the region between a telecom entity and a bank.

• Zain Jordan inaugurated ‘The Bunker’, the region’s first military-grade high security network data center offering co-location, cloud, virtual private data center and business continuity services.

• Zain crowned ‘Best Operator’ and ‘Best Brand’ at Telecom World Middle East Awards 2019.

July October

December

November

August

September• Zain named as the Best Overall Telecommunications Group for 2019 by leading industry publication CommsMEA, with Zain Saudi Arabia named the Best MEA Telecom Operator.

• Following a Group-wide framework agreement with Digital Virgo on Zain’s API platform, Zain Kuwait launches subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service ‘PlayVOD’.

• In collaboration with the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, Zain published a report on Child Online Safety.

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For fans, and athletes alike, leading technologies enrich the sporting experience, bringing people closer to the ac-tion, and creating new immersive ways to showcase the commitment, excitement, and teamwork of sports.

The television and media entertainment experience has evolved tremendously over the past hundred years. Watching sports went from the stadium to being broad-cast on TV to millions of viewers around the world. Then smartphones came and added some extra complexity, then tablets, YouTube and other on-demand services.

Each new generation of viewers bring more emotional, social and explorative methods with which to watch content, in increasingly immersive and personalized

A GAME-CHANGER: IMMERSIVE SPORTS EXPERIENCES POWERED BY 5G

ways. Through the evolution of technology, we can push boundaries and take the consumer to the heart of the game itself.

This is where 5G can be a vital tool for the sports sector, as it seeks to re-invent the fan experi-ence at home and at the sports arena. Sporting events could better serve both the traveling fan attending every game in person and the die-hard fan catching the game remotely.

Through live-streaming video, mixed reality experiences and real-time access to infor-mation about the game, the next generation in mobile wireless technology can create an enhanced experience, reinventing how fans participate in sports.

At HomeToday’s sports viewing experience at home is driven by a high-quality TV screen, with smartphones and tablets as companions or “second screens.” Fans are looking for new ways to connect to the sporting experience digitally.

Ericsson signed a multi-year agreement with Zain to deploy 5G in the Kingdom of Bahrain

For broadcasters, fans, and athletes alike, Ericsson’s leading technologies enrich the sporting experience, bringing people closer to the action, and creating new immersive ways to enjoy the spectacle

There is potential to create more immersive fan experiences with the introduction of 360-degree cameras, virtual and augmented reality. Fans can walk the side-line, see what the goalkeepers are seeing or join the victory celebration in the locker room – all serving the purpose of bringing fans closer to the action at the venue from home.

What’s more, the trend of increased solitary viewing due to the development of personal screens and on-demand viewing could be reversed thanks to the capabilities and promises of virtual reality (VR). It can provide a way to connect with friends watching the game at different physical locations, creating a “virtual bar” for the times you can’t be there in person.

For broadcasters, this will likely see the rise of new VR and augmented reality media experiences that may test the boundaries of traditional broadcast tech-nologies. According to Ericsson’s ConsumerLab TV and Media Report, by 2020 a third of consumers will be VR users, and it’s estimated that half of all TV and video viewing will be done on mobile devices.

VR brings an exciting prospect to the table: the ability to watch 4K/UHD con-tent without owning a big physical screen and allowing on-demand viewing to become more of a social activity than it is today. Soon, friends and people with similar interests will be able to watch content together in a VR living room, viewers will have the freedom to look anywhere in every scene of a movie and consumers can experience a football match with other fans in a VR arena, as if they are actually there.

And for sports fans in areas that don’t have access to fi-ber coverage, 5G enables fixed wireless access applica-tions for very high-quality video streaming in 4K video, 360 or AR/VR formats.

At the StadiumA great experience at the arena is fundamental to enjoying live sports. Where fans today see broadband connectivity to their smartphone for social media posts as table stakes, there is so much more that could be done digitally to connect fans to the action. This is an area where 5G can improve the overall experience, compared to standard Wi-Fi solutions.

The introduction of 5G at a stadium also creates a horizon-tal platform to serve additional applications. Fans would be able to monitor and track athletes’ performance dur-ing practice and competition in real time, for example.

For broadcasters, fans, and athletes alike, Ericsson’s leading technologies enrich the sporting experience, bringing peo-ple closer to the action, and creating new immersive ways to showcase the commitment, excitement, and teamwork of sports. For a team playing before a packed stadium or a lonesome runner on a forest track, connectivity and mobil-ity enable new values in an emerging internet of sport.

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