Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum recently visited the Saudi Telecom Company’s (STC) booth at the GITEX Technology Week 2018 in Dubai. He was received by Senior Vice President of Enterprise Business at STC Dr. Tareq Enaya. Sheikh Hamdan reviewed the latest telecom and IT services and solutions launched by the company. STC said its new services are in line with its role as a driver of digital transformation in Saudi Arabia as per Saudi Vision 2030. STC recently inaugurated its latest innovation in in-flight call technology through a live call made 30,000 feet above on board of a plane heading to Jeddah from Riyadh, with the video call being directly transmitted to the GITEX conference. The service allows for in-flight video calls by equipping airplanes with mobile data and broadband through signals from LTE ground-based stations, which boast many features compared to older technologies that rely on satellites. This will enable airlines and other stakeholders to provide better services than currently adopted older standards at a lower cost per Mb, higher data transfer rate of up to 75 Mb/s, and a lower delay time. Dr. Enaya said: “In-flight call technology is one of many other examples that illustrate the way STC is working with its partners and customers to provide the latest products and services and thus improve services offered to airlines and service providers.The new in-flight call service offers state-of-the-art features, including a stable connection and high-speed connectivity. This makes it indeed the next generation of transmission technology, which will open new horizons in terms of products and services.” He further pointed out to all the areas that could benefit from this new technology, including airlines, media and entertainment, natural resource exploration, safety and security, and telecommunications. STC staff were on hand at GITEX to address its potential customers on the new technology. The company has said that its GITEX participation will focus on the newest technological solutions and that it will shed light on its specialized services in the fields of cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, blockchain applications, and big data analysis. STC is currently working with various stakeholders and partners to enrich this new technology, including Nokia for LTE phone devices, Thales for onboard equipment, EAD for supplementary technical certification, AMAC for maintenance, repairs, and operation for onboard installation, and Sky Prime, a private charter airline on whose planes the technology is being tested directly.