Strong mobile network in place for Hajj season

CST and Mobily confirm wide-ranging coverage for pilgrims to stay in touch with loved ones

A Muslim worshipper uses his phone to film as he stands near the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on June 22, 2023, as pilgrims arrive for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)Show less

Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here

Saudi Arabia's communications authority has announced the completion of the telecoms systems to serve pilgrims performing Hajj – with big increases in coverage.

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission said that the data consumption in Makkah and the holy sites has hit 4,601 terabytes, the equivalent of 1.89 million hours of 1080p videos.

CST said that the average individual Internet data usage had reached 785MB daily, nearly three times exceeding the international average of data usage per person of 270MB.

The statistics also revealed that the pilgrims' most visited websites were YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

More than 6,000 communication towers in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites to serve pilgrims, said the CST. This marks an increase of 74 per cent.

The number of 5G towers has been increased by 1,205 per cent to more than 2,900 towers, while the number of than 10,500 WI-FI access points in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites – an increase of up to 118 per cent.

The commission said that the infrastructure preparations were doubled for this year’s Hajj to cope with the return of the number of pilgrims to pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, Saudi telecoms company Mobily announced the completion of its preparations to provide digital solutions to Hajj pilgrims through its application of artificial intelligence “digital twin” technology.

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  Pilgrims pray upon their arrival in Mina, near Islam's holy city of Makkah. AFP

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  A view of Mina, 'the city of tents', south-east of Makkah. AFP

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  Pilgrims walk round the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as they arrive to perform the Hajj. Reuters

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  Hajj pilgrims gather on the Mount of Mercy on the plain of Arafat, outside the holy city of Makkah. Reuters

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  A member of security staff sprays water to help a pilgrim stay cool in Mina, as temperatures passed 40°C. AFP

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  Pilgrims walking through the Grand Mosque. Photo: Hajj Ministry

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  Pilgrims in front of the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque. AP

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  Pilgrims walk around the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque. AP

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  Nigerian pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AP

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  Sudanese pilgrim Um Safaa, who came from Port Sudan for the Hajj, outside the Grand Mosque. AP

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  Afghan Hajj pilgrims wait outside the Grand Mosque, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. AP

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  A pigeon flies by as Iranian pilgrims pose for a selfie outside the Grand Mosque. AP

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  A woman visits Mount Al Noor, where Muslims believe Prophet Mohammed received the first words of the Quran in the Hira cave, in Makkah. Reuters

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  Worshippers perform Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque. Reuters

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  Muslim worshippers and pilgrims gather around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, in the holy city of Makkah, as they arrive for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

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  A pilgrim with his phone near the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. AFP

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  The annual pilgrimage takes place during Dhu Al Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. AFP

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  Muslim pilgrims circumambulate anti-clockwise around the Kaaba. Seven complete circuits constitute Tawaf, one of the principal rites of Hajj. AP

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  A general view of the Grand Mosque is seen from the Clock Tower during the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Makkah. AP

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  The Kiswa, the cloth used to cover the Kaaba, and the Kaaba's gold doors underneath. The Kiswa is draped every year on the ninth day of Dhu Al Hijjah. AFP

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  Pilgrims perform prayers at the Grand Mosque. AFP

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  Muslims pray around the Kaaba. AFP

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  A Muslim worshipper touches the Kaaba. AFP

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  Prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. AFP

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  A pilgrim performs prayers. AFP

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  Ministry of Hajj and Umrah officials have asked people to take precautions due to the heat. AFP

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  The ministry will guide pilgrims on the etiquette and rituals of Hajj as part of the 'Proclaim to the People' initiative. AFP

This feature will further help identify potential congestion areas and recommend changes in real time, with a live monitoring system 24/7 covering all areas of the holy sites to manage traffic and reduce congestion.

Additionally, the twin technology will contribute to the creation of a virtual model for the network's infrastructure, which will provides tools to test network quality, facilitate maintenance, and troubleshoot errors.

This will make Mobily's job easier in managing integration between networks, as well as its role in operating fifth generation networks and managing the growing demand for data.

Mobily chief executive Salman Al Badran said the company was “able to harness artificial intelligence applications to enhance the performance of the network, which reflects the priority to support concerted efforts to facilitate all avenues for pilgrims”.

The company has improved Hajj network coverage, increasing the coverage of the 5G network by 85 per cent compared to last year, data capacity by about 20 per cent and fibre optic coverage by 120 per cent.