Saudi telecoms firm Mobily has invested close to a billion dollars in its data center and subsea footprint.
The company this week said it had invested $905 million (SAR 3.40 billion) in data centers and submarine cables as part of a program to improve Saudi Arabia’s digital infrastructure.
Speaking at the Leap 2025 event this week, Mobily CEO, Salman Al-Badran, said: “Mobily has invested in several submarine cables that enhance Saudi Arabia’s connectivity with the world. These include the new Africa 1 cable, linking the Kingdom with Africa and Europe, and the SMW6 cable, connecting Saudi Arabia to Asia and Europe.”
He continued: “Additionally, Mobily has invested in the construction and upgrade of the AAE1 submarine cable and the expansion of the fiber-optic network to provide multiple pathways for international carriers, global cloud service providers, and submarine cable consortiums.”
“Mobily’s investment in data centers has exceeded $533m (SAR 2bn), with plans to build data centers with a total capacity of 39MW, supporting the growing demand for AI, GPU, and other advanced applications,” he added.
Some 13MW is reportedly set to enter commercial production by the end of Q1, with the remainder coming online next year. Further details on the new data centers weren’t shared.
Established in 2004, Mobily (aka Etihad Etisalat) counts UAE’s Etisalat Emirates Group (aka e&) the General Organization for Social Insurance as major shareholders.
As well as B2C and B2B connectivity services, Mobily currently offers colocation services. According to its website, the company’s sites total more than 100MW.
The company lists eight facilities in operation: Three facilities in Riyadh (Malga 1 and 2, Sulay); two sites in Jeddah (Fayhaa and Obhur); two sites in Dammam (Adama and Fursan); and one in Unaziah. DataCenterMap also lists a facility in Madinah.
