GITEX ’06, Dubai – November 20th 2006 -- Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC), NavLink and AT&T today announced an agreement to deploy an AT&T Global data node in Saudi Arabia. Provisioning of the node, is well advanced and it is scheduled to be operational by the first half of 2007. The announcement was made at GulfComm ’06 in Dubai.

The advanced data Node from AT&T will allow AT&T and NavLink customers to directly interconnect to STC’s nationwide Multi-Protocol Lab Switching (MPLS) network – the largest and most advanced MPLS network in the Middle East region.

STC customers will benefit from being able to access AT&T’s global network one of the world’s most advanced and powerful global data backbone infrastructures, carrying 7.6 petabytes of traffic on an average business day to nearly every continent and country, with up to 99.999 percent availability.

Upon completion of the node and interconnection of the AT&T network with STC’s national MPLS Network, AT&T and NavLink will be better able to respectively serve the global enterprise customer’s requirements for service in Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi national customer's requirements for service in the rest of the world .

This agreement compliments NavLink and AT&T’s regional strategy to interconnect and deploy AGN infrastructure with the best of breed local partners and follows other similar agreements in the region.

Increasingly Saudi companies are looking to globalise their operations and the deal announced today means that STC will be able to offer them access to one of the most advanced and robust worldwide communications infrastructures along with an advanced portfolio of managed data services.

Mr. Saud Al Daweesh, STC President said: “With our association with AT&T and Navlink and having completed one of the most advanced national MPLS networks in the world, STC is entering a new era of global managed data services. Such an achievement enhances the Saudi economy, which is regarded as one of the fastest growing in the region. With this extension of MPLS coverage to more than 150 countries, STC can proudly announce that its enterprise customers will have seamless reach to virtually any destination in the world.”

Geoff Webster, AT&T Vice President for Strategy and Business Development welcomed today’s agreement. “Saudi Arabia is one of the key economies in the Middle East region and STC have a very progressive next generation network investment programme. This deal gives AT&T and NavLink customers an opportunity to benefit from this investment and in return allows STC to offer its customers true seamless, global connectivity.”

George Chammas, Co-President of NavLink said “We’re extremely pleased to be part of this agreement, in which STC,AT&T and Navlink have partnered together. This initiative will leverage STC’s dominant presence in Saudi Arabia, AT&T’s global reach and NavLink’s knowledge and wide area network solution expertise. Customers will benefit from a wide portfolio of state-of-the-art products and services that address their telecommunication needs.”



About STC

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) (www.stc.com.sa) is the incumbent telecom service provider operating both the Mobile and Fixed Line businesses, in Saudi Arabia, was established in1998..Being publicly traded company since the year 2002. STC is contributing towards the growth of the Saudi Arabian businesses through innovative services, latest technologies and extensive worldwide connectivity. STC is listed as 13th ranked company in Telegeography’s rankings of telecommunication companies worldwide in terms of outgoing minutes. With a network of approximately 4 million fixed lines, over 13 million mobile subscribers and more than 2.5 million Internet subscribers, STC is the largest telecommunication companies in the Middle East. STC is investing heavily in a technologically advanced digital network, and it has completed its first phase of its NGN network by completing one of the most advanced national MPLS network in the world. STC regional and global access is provided via terrestrial fiber networks that covers almost all the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and extends to connect to all neighbouring countries; via its active participation and ownership in number of Submarine Cable Systems to more than 80 countries worldwide; and via satellite


About NavLink

NavLink (www.navlink.com) is a system and network integrator and managed service provider, operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Founded in December 1996, NavLink achieved a leadership position in high-end IP consulting, system integration, enterprise networking services, enterprise hosting and managed services serving telecommunications organizations, as well as multinational corporations. NavLink operates a carrier class data center in Nice, France part of AT&T’s 30 global data centers. NavLink is a strategic partner of AT&T, and acts as AT&T’s service delivery arm for enterprise customers in the Middle East and Africa


About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 58.7 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at http://www.att.com.


For Further information contact:
Mr. Mohammed Al Rashidi
Email: mhrashi@stc.com.sa
Phone: +966 50 006 4242