Mobily was reportedly the only contender to have passed all evaluation criteria to win the contract.

The contract was signed in Riyadh on Sunday by Abdulrahman Al-Jaafari, governor of CITC and chief executive of the fund, and Mobily CEO Khalid Al-Kaf.

The project aims to provide voice and broadband Internet connectivity to residents of Khulais and Al-Kamel in Makkah province, and Mahd Al-Dhahab in Madinah province. Mobily is expected to carry out the project at a cost of SR50 million.

“We are working toward implementing the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to carry out comprehensive development throughout the Kingdom, with a long-term strategic outlook for the economy,” said Jaafari. “We want to play our part in achieving balanced and sustainable progress and bridge the developmental gaps between regions.”

Kaf said Mobily would draw upon all of its resources and expertise to serve the residents of the areas covered by the project. “The fact that we own the region’s biggest broadband network will definitely help in providing quality services to remote areas, so we can enrich the lives of residents with services that exceed their expectations,” said Kaf.

Mobily’s infrastructure in the Kingdom is solid and includes a 12,000-km fiber optics network.