Nokia, in partnership with the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia, ACES NH, Mobily, and Zain Saudi, has successfully completed the Kingdom’s first pilot of 5G Standalone (5G SA) indoor coverage using shared spectrum in the 4.0-4.1 GHz band. This approach enables high-speed 5G inside offices, hotels, and public spaces regardless of the customer’s mobile operator, according to Nokia.
By actively sharing a single in-building system among all operators, the deployment cost is reduced by over 60 percent and rollout is accelerated, as reported by Nokia. The solution, powered by Nokia’s Shikra pico radio and Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) software, also eliminates the need for 4G anchoring and duplicate equipment. The pilot was made possible with support from CST’s regulatory innovation.
This initiative has received recognition from the Small Cell Forum, winning the Small Cells World Summit 2025 Award for Outstanding Progress in Enabling Neutral Host and Multi-Operator Business Models
, according to Nokia. With mobile data usage in Saudi Arabia expected to rise from 29 GB per month in 2024 to 54 GB per month by 2030, and with 80 percent of traffic generated indoors, the new model addresses the inefficiencies of traditional Distributed Antenna Systems that require separate hardware for each operator.
According to early cost modeling by Nokia and ACES, removing 4G anchoring could further save 47 percent in costs, making 5G SA indoor sites commercially viable from the outset.
Eng. Mufarreh J. AlNahari, Deputy Governor of Studies and Innovation at CST, highlighted the collaboration as a demonstration of how regulatory innovation and industry partnerships can deliver reliable 5G for businesses and consumers.
Mikko Lavanti, Senior Vice President for Mobile Networks, MEA at Nokia, emphasized the benefits of sharable indoor spectrum for accelerating 5G adoption and reducing both costs and carbon emissions.
Nokia’s Shikra pico radios are designed for efficient, low-power 5G coverage in multi-storey buildings, supporting both public and private wireless networks. The same infrastructure can be used for secure enterprise networks and public connectivity, supporting the Kingdom’s push towards smart infrastructure and a knowledge-based digital economy.
