UL and Saudi Telecom Company (STC) have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a testing facility in Saudi Arabia.
The center of excellence (CoE) will be set up in Riyadh inside STC labs and will offer testing for various products across the “fiber to the home” (FTTH) ecosystem.
UL’s wire and cable division signed the MoU with STC at the world’s largest wireless industry event, Mobile World Congress 2019 held in Barcelona. The collaboration is aimed at ensuring a robust network for telecom operators in Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries.
UL recognizes the increasing need for Saudi Arabia’s wire and cable industry to accelerate the “time to market” for products and to meet the challenges of the growing complexity of global technological and business environment.
With the support from UL’s engineering expertise, this new facility in Saudi Arabia will help all critical stakeholders along the global supply chain to design, manufacture, specify and procure compliant products in the marketplace.
Steven A. Galan, director of UL’s wire and cable division, said: “We are collaborating with STC to provide our testing services locally here in Saudi Arabia with a view to shortening the turnaround time for submitting samples, testing and certification.
“Additionally, suppliers of the telecommunications industry can conduct UL research testing at this facility to validate their product design during the product development stage, which will help enhance market competitiveness of the product.”
Hamid Syed, vice president and general manager for UL in the Middle East, said: “Through this testing facility, we will be able to support the Kingdom’s digital transformation by ensuring only compliant products enter the marketplace.”
Bader A. Allhieb, vice president of operations at STC, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with a globally renowned industry leader such as UL, whose mission and expertise perfectly complement our goal to transform the telecom industry in the Kingdom and the region.
“This collaboration will not only benefit STC and UL but would also further support the growth of telecom sector of Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.”