Zain Group, a leading telecom pioneer in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa,  announced the establishment of ZainTech, a new operating regional entity that unifies the Group’s ICT assets to offer a unique value proposition, centered on a one-stop provision of comprehensive enterprise digital solutions and transformation services all under one roof. ZainTech will also incorporate NXN and Zain Data Park (ZDP) providing premium customer experience, local presence, and support to enterprises and government clients across the region.

The launch of ZainTech, a first among Middle East operators, was made during a ceremony held at GITEX 2021 in Dubai and attended by Zain Group Chief Technology Officer, Nawaf Algharabally; Zain Saudi Arabia Chief Business and Wholesale Officer, Saad Al Sadhan; and the newly appointed Zain Tech CEO, Andrew Hanna, and other business and telecom figures from across the region.

ZainTech will operate and leverage Zain’s global reach, unique footprint, and infrastructure across its operations as well as other key markets in the Middle East. It will offer a single point of contact for sales and personalized customer care for multinational corporations that have multiple presences across the region.

Moreover, the new entity will address a wide array of business needs ranging from solutions for cloud, cybersecurity, and associated managed and professional services. It will also provide standard and customized digital solutions addressing the unique needs of different verticals leveraging the latest innovations in IoT, Big Data, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies.

Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman & Group CEO, said in a statement, “ZainTech is a major step in Zain’s ‘4Sight’ strategy, signifying a vital development in our determination to transform Zain into a multi-core digital business. The new entity, a first among telecom operators in the Middle East, unifies the Group’s ICT assets to offer comprehensive digital solutions and transformation services under one roof, also incorporating NXN and ZDP, both specialized ICT establishments in their respective fields.”

Al-Kharafi continued, “It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Andrew Hanna as CEO of ZainTech. Andrew will work closely with Zain Group and opco leadership to grow Zain Tech’s presence in the region and beyond, ensuring we continue our transformation towards our new core. Andrew brings over 25 years of telecommunications & ICT experience gained in a wide variety of global and regional roles.”

ZainTech’s creation supports a key part of Zain’s value accretive ‘4Sight’ strategy that is centered on evolving Zain’s core telecom business to maximize value and building on the company’s many strengths to selectively invest in growth verticals beyond standard mobile services, while supporting Zain’s vision of becoming a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider.

The new ZainTech structure enhances Zain’s competitiveness by improving ownership in growing the ICT and digital core, accelerating capability and capacity building, and synergizing investments where it makes sense to, as well as maximizing the value Zain derives from partnerships with global ICT vendors.

Hanna said, “I look forward to working with visionary leaders in local and multinational enterprises, city management, and public sector entities to simplify and accelerate their digital transformation and next-generation technology innovations with confidence. ZainTech aims to empower customers to embrace innovation, digital disruption, and future technologies, creating value and allowing them to make their aspirations a reality.”

A focus to support Zain B2B teams across footprint

ZainTech will work closely with and support B2B teams within Zain operations to drive market development and cross-sell advanced ICT services to differentiate Zain’s position in the regional enterprise market. The operations will continue to spearhead local execution, in line with the current successful model.

Incorporating NXN into Zain Tech

Founded in 2007 and acquired by Zain in 2016, NXN is an end-to-end smart digital services provider, leveraging the deep expertise of its industry consulting, data, and technology teams. Its advanced DNX Digital Services Platform provides customers with the agility they need to fast track innovation, break down data silos, and implement disruptive technology solutions.

Zain Data Park

ZDP was formed by Zain in 2020 and provides government and enterprise customers with the very best IT support services focused on cloud hosting and managed services across the ICT stack, including applications, cybersecurity, and networking.