stc successfully manages peak digital traffic in Arafat using AI technologies

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the world's largest annual human gatherings, with millions of Muslims flocking to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj rituals. With rapid technological advancements, digital services and communications have become an integral part of the pilgrim experience, posing significant challenges to telecommunications infrastructure. In this context, stc Group, a leading telecommunications and information technology company in the region, announced its outstanding success in managing one of the world's largest and most complex operational processes during the blessed Day of Arafah.

Arafah Challenge: A Unique Digital Peak

The Day of Arafah, when pilgrims gather on the plains of Arafat, represents the peak of the Hajj season, not only spiritually but also operationally and logistically. Within a few hours, millions of people converge on a limited geographical area, leading to an unprecedented surge in demand for telecommunications and data services. Pilgrims need to stay connected with their families and loved ones, share their spiritual moments, and access digital applications and services that facilitate their rituals. This scenario places immense pressure on networks, requiring exceptional capabilities to ensure service continuity and quality.

stc's smart innovations: the cornerstone of success

This year, stc successfully accommodated a record surge in demand for digital services in general, and telecommunications and data services in particular, in Arafat, while maintaining the highest levels of service quality and network stability. This achievement is attributed to the group's reliance on an advanced digital infrastructure powered by artificial intelligence, automation capabilities, and self-managed networks. stc developed and implemented a suite of cutting-edge technological innovations specifically designed to address the unique operational challenges of the Hajj season.

• Dynamic Crowd-Aware Optimization technology: This technology analyzes crowd density and user movement in real time, automatically redistributing resources among the busiest locations. This ensures consistent service quality even with constantly changing pilgrim gathering points.
• AI-Powered Predictive Traffic Steering Platform: Powered by artificial intelligence, this platform proactively monitors and manages anticipated network traffic. Its goal is to reduce congestion and enhance performance efficiency during peak hours, ensuring a seamless user experience.
• Autonomous Energy & Capacity Optimization: This system enhances network availability by automatically managing its resources in real time according to actual demand levels. This ensures service stability in the busiest locations while improving energy efficiency.

Numbers that reflect excellence: benchmark performance indicators

The efficiency of these smart solutions was reflected positively in performance indicators, with the network recording a significant increase in usage compared to last year. Data traffic rose by 42%, while 5G network usage exceeded 51% of total usage on the Day of Arafah, registering a 16% growth compared to last year. The network also witnessed a notable increase in average download speeds of 13%, along with a reduction in latency to levels less than 50% compared to global averages. This significant decrease in latency directly impacted the quality of application usage, live streaming, and video calls made by pilgrims with their families and loved ones.

In terms of operational readiness and connectivity, the network achieved a call completion rate of 99.83%, with an 11% increase in the number of successful voice calls over 4G networks. The network maintained exceptional operational readiness of 99.9% throughout the Day of Arafah, coinciding with a 13% decrease in service quality-related reports.

Widespread impacts: locally and globally

This success underscores stc Group’s ongoing strategic investments in digital infrastructure and its adoption of cutting-edge automation and artificial intelligence technologies. Domestically, this achievement reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading hub for managing massive crowds and providing world-class digital infrastructure, aligning with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to transform the Kingdom into a global digital powerhouse and enable digital transformation across all sectors. Regionally and internationally, this accomplishment sets a new benchmark for managing peak digital traffic at major events and showcases Saudi Arabia’s expertise in communications and information technology. It also directly contributes to enhancing the experience of millions of pilgrims, making their spiritual journey more comfortable and seamless.

The future of communications at major events

The group affirmed that this success stemmed from the design and implementation of advanced proactive plans specifically tailored to address the evolving nature of crowd movement in the Holy Sites. The deployment of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies and autonomous network management not only ensures network stability and performance during these unique events but also paves the way for developing innovative solutions applicable to other global events requiring the management of massive digital flows. This reflects stc's commitment to innovation and its leadership in providing a reliable and seamless connectivity experience for pilgrims, further solidifying the Kingdom's global leadership in technology-driven large-scale crowd management.