Kuwaiti telco Zain Group, operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has introduced a global M2M offering to help OEMs seamlessly integrate their devices into multiple regional markets.

Through a single point of integration and contractual relationship, this development lets partner OEMs access all the required connectivity for their devices, eliminating the necessity to establish local presence while ensuring compliance with local regulations.

In partnership with Mavoco (mavoco.com), a provider of connectivity management platforms, Zain can offer its customers connectivity management and control technologies, with full self-service and open integration capabilities.

Zain already empowers several million devices across its footprint and the launch of the global M2M offering should further facilitate and enable the proliferation of connected devices across the region.

“The introduction of our global M2M offering is a strategic move that accompanies the recent launch of Zain’s new 4Ward strategy, capitalising on our strategic footprint and superior connectivity to position Zain as the regional partner of choice,” said Kamil Hilali, Zain chief strategy officer. “This service addresses the significant challenges faced by OEMs operating in or looking to operate in the region, including compliance with local regulations and high integration costs.”

He said by providing a unified offering that ensured compliance and simplified connectivity across its network, Zain was empowering the connection of global manufacturers to the Middle East.

“This will boost the pace of digital transformation of enterprises and governments, driving socio-economic growth across the region,” he said. “We are confident of the opportunity to capture a first-mover advantage in the provision of comprehensive, universal connectivity services to OEMs and further solidify Zain’s position as a leader and partner of choice for digital transformation.”

The offering also addresses several problems faced by OEMs in the region. It ensures regulatory compliance by adhering to local requirements in markets such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, where permanent roaming restrictions pose significant hurdles. And it simplifies integration through a single connectivity point, eliminating the complexity and cost of engaging multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) across different countries.

Additionally, the global IMSI-based offering provides competitive roaming rates and worldwide coverage, allowing OEMs to avoid establishing local entities and thereby reducing operational costs and legal complexities. This further streamlines processes by presenting a unified contractual relationship, enabling OEMs to leverage their scale without fragmentation by country or operator.

Through this launch, Zain is targeting a diverse range of market segments seeking more intelligent coverage, including international car manufacturers, industrial equipment manufacturers, smart meter providers, connected device companies, and enterprises involved in international freight, shipping containers and cold supply chain management.

The dynamic nature of M2M services is set to reshape global business operations. IoT-Analytics, a provider of market insights and business intelligence for IoT, AI, cloud, edge and Industry 4.0, estimates there are around 19 billion internet-connected physical devices, a figure expected to double to 40 billion by 2030.

For more on Zain’s global M2M offering, visit zain.com/m2m.

Zain (www.zain.com) is a provider of ICT and digital lifestyle services operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, serving 49 million active customers. With a commercial presence in eight countries, Zain provides mobile voice and data services in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. Headquartered in the UAE, ZainTech, the group’s one-stop digital and ICT provider, is playing a role in the transformation of enterprise and government clientele across the Mena region. Also UAE based, Zain Omantel International (ZOI) is changing the international telecommunications wholesale landscape serving regional operators, international carriers and global hyperscalers.