Riyadh – Mubasher: Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) and Ericsson have marked 20 years of collaboration in supporting connectivity for pilgrims during Hajj season, enhanced with expanded 5G capacity and AI-based capabilities this year.
The cooperation between the two telecom giants aimed at providing a faster, smoother, and more reliable mobile experience during Hajj 2026 in Makkah, according to a press release.
Ericsson and Mobily have expanded network capacity and coverage in the Mashaer area while extending the use of AI for network optimization, performance monitoring, and operations during Hajj 2026.
Mobily more than doubled 5G capacity through additional sites in the Mashaer area using Ericsson Radio System solutions, including Massive MIMO radios, and activating new spectrum.
This increased capacity helped more pilgrims stay connected at the same time, even in highly crowded locations where demand for mobile and digital services was at its highest.
The two companies further scaled the deployment of AI-based Uplink Interference Optimizer and Coverage Gap Mitigation algorithms across the network.
Chief Technology Officer at Mobily, Alaa Malki, said: “For 20 years, Mobily and Ericsson have worked together to support connectivity for pilgrims during Hajj season. As demand continues to grow, our focus remains on providing network performance and service quality that supported the needs of pilgrims in Makkah.”
Malki noted: “Through expanded 5G capacity and AI-based operations, we evolved how we plan, optimize, and operate the network during one of the most important seasons of the year.”
Meanwhile, the capabilities were deployed with zero-touch, closed-loop automation which enabled the network to instantly self-optimize and proactively mitigate coverage gaps in near real time without the need for manual intervention, ensuring seamless connectivity for millions of pilgrims.
The collaboration also introduced an AI-powered monitoring tool jointly created by Ericsson and Mobily that continuously checked end user experience for key digital services and voice calls.
They also deployed a co-created tool, the GenAI Intelligent Assistant for operational intelligence, which enabled Mobily operations teams to ask questions about network performance in simple language and receive clear responses based on information from areas including customer complaints, roaming, capacity, and network performance.
Vice President and Head of Ericsson Saudi Arabia at Ericsson Europe, Middle East and Africa, Håkan Cervell, said: “Hajj is one of the most demanding connectivity environments in the world. Our collaboration with Mobily brought together 5G, AI and closed loop automation to support network performance and customer experience during the season.”
Cervell added: “Building on two decades of collaboration with Mobily, we remain committed to supporting digital infrastructure in the Kingdom.”
In 2025, Ericsson chose Riyadh to establish its regional headquarters (HQ), aimed at supporting its operations across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.
