file_download ENGLISH
REPORT
العربية

ZAIN HOMEPAGE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MESSAGE

2018 AT A GLANCE

KEY MILESTONES

VICE CHAIRMAN & GROUP
CEO STATEMENT

GROUP KEY PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS

OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

A YEAR IN REVIEW

THE WORLD OF ZAIN

OPERATIONS SNAPSHOT

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE

OUR STRATEGY

TOGETHER WE ARE ZAIN

TECHNOLOGY

ZAIN DRONE

COMMERCIAL

CORPORATE
SUSTAINABILITY

ANNUAL CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE REPORT

CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AND INDEPENDENT
AUDITOR'S REPORT

Table of Contents

ZAIN DRONE SERVICES LAUNCHED IN KUWAIT

THE DISRUPTIVE POWER OF DRONE SOLUTIONS WILL BOLSTER EFFICIENCY FOR MANY BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES ACROSS THE MENA REGION

Zain Group announced in October 2018 the launch of its pioneering Zain Drone entity in Kuwait, with the plan to expand its operation to other markets across the operator’s footprint in due course.

Zain Drone as-a-Service (DaaS) is set to unlock opportunities in various industries to fast-track growth and exploit the Internet of Things (IoT) in an efficient, safer and faster way. The disruptive power of drone solutions will bolster efficiency as it offers state-of-the art bespoke drone solutions and provides advanced analytics for governments and businesses.

Zain Drone offers multiple solutions across core industries such as Oil and Gas (flare inspections), Utilities (power line inspections), Construction (BIM), Infrastructure (asset inspections), Security (surveillance), Real Estate (3D Modeling), Telecom Infrastructure (tower inspection), and Agriculture (crop health monitoring). The service facilitates the gathering of image data related to work advancement through the measurement of key parameters, assessing image data to evaluate compliance with original designs, and performing automated stock-taking along with reducing accidents and human error.

Zain has created a corporate entity to focus on the delivery of the drone-powered solutions, building upon its leading position in digital innovation across the markets in which it operates.

Zain enjoys extensive in-house expertise in drone technology, and possesses solid relationships with government entities, having deep experience in collecting, transferring, storing and processing huge quantities of data in a trusted manner.

Furthermore, Zain has the distinct advantage of offering reliable connectivity through an extensive network of towers across its regional footprint (22,000+), and enjoys vast experience in cloud infrastructure, system integration and data analytics.

Additional services offered by Zain Drone

Zain Drone will be able to offer additional services including unified communications, fleet management, control rooms, and managed services.

Additional use cases for Zain DaaS also exist in border security, offering aerial control over state borders by providing high-resolution image data from high-altitude fixed-wing drones. Sensors providing visual and thermal video footage for traffic and event identification can also be implemented. Zain Drone has applications in mass control environments and emergency situations, as well as in media services with respect to live and high-resolution streaming.

Zain Drone will also offer Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled autonomous drone systems that will improve business decisions with its access to high accuracy data, while reducing manpower costs by requiring minimal human interaction. AI drones are capable of self-diagnostics, self-charging, and autonomous navigation utilizing a set of sophisticated sensors and high accuracy data.

The power of drones in quick deployment and capturing precision data at various altitudes is extremely beneficial for business planning and decision-making.

Zain Drone is investing heavily to ramp up the required capabilities in operations and is positioning itself to become the leading strategic partner in the fast-developing market for unmanned data acquisition. Zain Drone is set to unlock opportunities in various industries to fast-track growth and exploit the Internet of Things (IoT) in an efficient, safer and faster way.

PARTNERSHIP WITH WORLDWIDE LEADER DRONESHIELD TO OFFER COUNTER-DRONE SOLUTIONS

Civil infrastructure operators, airports, governmental bodies, security agencies, and others to benefit from counter-drone security solutions

December 2018 saw Zain Group enter into a Teaming Agreement with DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) worldwide leader in counter-drone solutions, which will see the companies working together on meeting Zain’s customers’ requirements for these types of security solutions in the region.

DroneShield is a worldwide leader in drone security technology having developed the pre-eminent drone security solution that protects people, organizations and critical infrastructure from drones intrusion. Its leadership brings world-class expertise in engineering and physics, combined with deep experience in defense, intelligence, and aerospace.

The rise of drones also brings multiple risk and liability challenges for governments and industry. Zain has a substantial market penetration in the region with precisely these kinds of customers – civil infrastructure operators, airports, governmental bodies and security agencies, and others – that require counter-drone security solutions.

Zain is fielding increasing demand from customers for comprehensive solutions in this space, and DroneShield’s product range, coupled with Zain’s telecommunications expertise, provides exactly what customers are looking for.

ZAIN DRONE TO UNDERTAKE TOWER INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES FOR ZAIN KUWAIT

Automation will drive efficiencies with up to 50% in cost savings for Zain

In December 2018, Zain Kuwait announced entering an agreement with Zain Drone to undertake inspections of its tower infrastructure. The agreement saw the operator become one of the first in the MENA region to deploy drone technology to inspect and maintain its cell tower infrastructure, demonstrating the operator’s drive to become a more agile and cost-efficient provider. The agreement also represents the first commercial deal for Zain Drone.

In a growing trend globally, progressive mobile operators have identified the need to constantly monitor their towers to ensure hassle-free relay of signals between devices and infrastructure. Drone cell tower inspection reduces costs and the time taken to detect flaws considerably, as well as providing companies with complete details of defects through visual imagery, making it easier to develop lasting solutions for the problems that are identified.

Automation will play a key role in the cell tower inspection industry where automated workflows have proven their potential by helping cut inspection costs by as much as 50%. Drone hardware and software technologies have developed to the level that the entire inspection process can be streamlined and automated. The valuable benefits of drone technology in this instance includes, higher-resolution visual inspections than ground-based ones; a significant reduction in man hours and costs; the ability to safely assess the condition and alignment of all components of cell towers with inspections done from a safe distance; an increase in efficiency due to data accuracy, live streaming and zoom or thermal capabilities; and the lack of network downtime as cell towers remain functional during inspection.