stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
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stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s stc announced on Sunday the company’s preliminary financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, reporting revenues of SAR19,210 million, a 1.60% increase year-over-year.

Gross profit rose by 5.01% to SAR9,098 million, operating profit increased by 2.02% to SAR3,584 million, and EBITDA grew by 5.25% to SAR6,120 million. Net profit for the quarter reached SAR3,649 million, representing an 11.05% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to a statement issued by stc, the group distributed SAR0.55 per share for the first quarter of 2025, in accordance with the dividends distribution policy approved by the General Assembly.

Commenting on the results, CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth, as well as its relentless pursuit of creating added value for shareholders, customers, and the digital economy as a whole.

He further added that, early in 2025, stc Group achieved several strategic milestones that further solidified its position in the telecommunications and information technology sector. Among these achievements was a new global milestone, as the group successfully localized the software for eSIM technology in collaboration with Thales, making stc the first telecom operator in the world to obtain SAS-UP license certification from the GSMA.

He emphasized that this accomplishment complements stc’s ongoing efforts to support local content in the ICT sector through business localization and the transfer of manufacturing and technical expertise to the Kingdom.
In continuation of the group’s efforts to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region, stc signed a strategic agreement with Ooredoo to establish an international ground fiber network corridor between Saudi Arabia and Oman. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region through the project, which starts with the Saudi-Oman corridor. The project will also create an integrated ground fiber network with two backup routes, connecting submarine cable landing stations on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia to their counterparts on the Arabian Sea in Oman, passing through dedicated data centers in both countries. This agreement reaffirms the Group’s commitment to delivering advanced communication solutions, enhancing intercontinental connectivity, and driving digital transformation to support the region’s economic growth.
The statement added that stc Group strengthened its position in cloud computing and artificial intelligence by signing an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This partnership significantly boosts the Group’s ability to deliver advanced technological solutions tailored to the diverse needs of various sectors, while reaffirming its commitment to driving the shift toward an integrated digital economy and leading the future of smart technology in the Kingdom and beyond.
Furthermore, as part of its commitment to providing the highest quality of digital services, stc Group enhanced its telecommunications network in the Two Holy Mosques during the holy month of Ramadan by strengthening its infrastructure to meet the growing demand for services during peak times. This upgrade resulted in a 120% increase in connection speed, enabling the Group to ensure an exceptional communication experience for visitors to the holy sites during the peak visitor periods.



Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
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Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

Google hopes to enter an agreement with Apple by the middle of this year to include its Gemini AI technology on new phones, CEO Sundar Pichai said in testimony at an antitrust trial in Washington on Wednesday.
Pichai testified in the Alphabet unit's defense against proposals by the US Department of Justice which include ending lucrative deals with Apple, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon to be the default search engine on new mobile devices, Reuters reported.
During questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema, Pichai said that while Google does not yet have an agreement with Apple to include its Gemini AI on iPhones, Pichai spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the possibility last year.
A potential deal this year would see Google's Gemini AI included within Apple Intelligence, Apple's own set of AI features, Pichai said.
Google also plans to experiment with including ads in its Gemini app, Pichai said.
Prosecutors have sought to illustrate how Google could extend its dominance in online search to AI. Google maintained its monopoly in part by paying billions of dollars to wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled last year.
The judge is now weighing what actions Google should take to restore competition. The outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by potentially unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online.
The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies including requiring Google to sell off its Chrome web browser, banning it from paying to be the default search engine and requiring it to share search data with competitors.
The data-sharing provisions would discourage Google from investing in research and development, Pichai testified on Wednesday.
Provisions that would require the company to share its search index and search query data are "extraordinary," and amount to a "defacto divestiture of our IP related to search," Pichai said.
"It would be trivial to reverse engineer and effectively build Google search from the outside," he said.
That would make it "unviable to invest in R&D the way we have for the past two decades," Pichai added.
Google has said it plans to appeal once the judge makes a final ruling.