Zain - Saudi Arabia
Zain (Saudi Arabia) uses 2 GSM bands, 1 UMTS band, 5 LTE bands, and 6 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Zain (Saudi Arabia). See the tables below for details.
Check device compatibilityCarrier website: https://www.sa.zain.com/
Last updated: 2024/08/04 - See latest updates
Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) is a leading telecom provider established in Saudi Arabia in August 2008. It is a listed company known for its highly developed infrastructure, which has enabled it to establish itself as a reliable telecom operator and digital service provider. Zain KSA offers a wide range of services including telecom services, 5G network, digital payment services, cloud computing, IoT solutions, fiber services, and drones.
Zain KSA was the first operator in the Middle East to commercially launch the 4G/LTE network in September 2011. In October 2019, it advanced its network to state-of-the-art 5G, initially covering 28 cities and now expanding to 53 cities with over 5,000 towers, making it one of the fourth largest 5G deployments globally.
The company is committed to continuous network and service development to achieve the best customer service experience, aligning with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the digital transformation in the Kingdom. Zain KSA aims to provide the necessary services for a smart society and a better quality of life.
Zain KSA also offers various internet packages and mobile offers for personal, business, and retail customers, allowing users to stay connected and shop online.
Frequency Bands
GSM
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz (E-GSM) | GSM | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band. This band ranges from 880 MHz to 960 MHz for both uplink and downlink frequencies. The uplink frequency range is from 880 MHz to 915 MHz, and the downlink range is from 925 MHz to 960 MHz. The ARFCNs in this band start from 0 to 124 and 975 to 1023. |
| 1800 MHz (DCS) | GSM | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band. It was deployed in 2011 when Zain Saudi Arabia commercially launched the 4G/LTE network. |
UMTS
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | UMTS | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the UMTS band B1 (2100 MHz). This band is utilized for UMTS services. |
LTE
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | LTE | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the LTE B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band is used for both uplink and downlink frequencies, ranging from 1920 MHz to 1980 MHz for uplink and 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz for downlink. The deployment details are not specified. |
| B3 (1800 MHz +) | LTE | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the LTE frequency band B3 (1800 MHz +). This band was deployed as part of the company's LTE network. |
| B38 (TD 2600 MHz) | LTE | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the LTE frequency band B38 (TD 2600 MHz). The deployment date of this band is not specified. |
| B8 (900 MHz) | LTE | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the LTE B8 (900 MHz) frequency band. This band was deployed in 2024. |
| B20 (800 MHz DD) | LTE | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) frequency band. This band is particularly known for its wide area coverage and deep penetration, making it suitable for regional and rural environments, as well as in-building coverage. It is also popular for IoT applications like eMTC (LTE Cat M1) and NB-IoT (LTE Cat NB1) due to its wide coverage characteristics. The 800 MHz band does not easily support Massive MIMO and beamforming technologies due to its large wavelength. It can be used as a single band or as part of a multi-band network, and it supports carrier aggregation with other bands to enhance bandwidth and performance. The deployment of LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) by Zain Saudi Arabia was added in August 2024. |
5G NR
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| N1 (2100 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the 5G NR frequency band N1 (2100 MHz). This band was added to Zain Saudi Arabia on August 4, 2024. |
| N3 (1800 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the 5G NR band 42 (3.5 GHz) for its 5G services. The deployment of this band began in 2019, with the initial phase covering 20 cities and an eventual expansion to 26 cities by the end of the year. This deployment was part of Zain's efforts to accelerate the rollout of commercial 5G networks across Saudi Arabia, aligning with the country's digital transformation goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2030. |
| N8 (900 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia does not use the 5G NR N8 (900 MHz) frequency band. |
| N20 (800 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the 5G NR N20 (800 MHz) frequency band. This band was added to Zain Saudi Arabia on August 4, 2024. |
| N41 (2500 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the 5G NR frequency band N41 (2500 MHz). This band was added to Zain Saudi Arabia's network on August 4, 2024. |
| N78 (3500 MHz) | 5G NR | Zain Saudi Arabia uses the 5G NR N78 (3500 MHz) frequency band. This band is utilized for providing high-speed wireless broadband services, enabling the delivery of peak download speeds of at least 20 Gbps, a reliable 100 Mbps user experience data rate in urban areas, and 4 ms latency. The deployment of this frequency band supports the efficient use and cost of spectrum, contributing to the expansion of 5G services in Saudi Arabia. |
Latest updates
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B8 (900 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N1 (2100 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N3 (1800 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N8 (900 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N20 (800 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N41 (2500 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
- 2024/08/04 - Frequency 5G NR N78 (3500 MHz) added to Zain Saudi Arabia.
