STC launches Jawwy brand with ItsOn to disrupt Saudi mobile market

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) launched a new brand called Jawwy as part of a new effort to target so-called "digital natives" and disrupt the Saudi mobile market.

The operator has partnered with ItsOn, which provides a cloud-based service and marketing platform for mobile operators. The U.S.-based company is now expanding its services internationally, and has already won a major deal with MTN in Africa.

STC plans to make use of the new Jawwy brand to target young, digitally savvy customers who can subscribe to the service by buying a SIM card and downloading the Jawwy app either from the Android or iOS operating system. The objective is to create a new type of mobile service that will include new ways of managing mobile plans as well as new services and offers.

ItsOn said its platform will help STC to exploit a market in which around 65 per cent of the population is under the age of 30. It noted that Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest penetration rates of smartphones, social media and online platforms.

The move also means that STC is following a well-established trend in Europe that has seen mobile operators make use of alternative brands to target different market segments based on age, ethnicity or price sensitivity.

Robert Oberhofer, VP of technical and product marketing at ItsOn, said Jawwy gives STC the freedom to explore new ideas and will lead the company in a different direction.

"The all-digital experience -- from ordering and delivering the phone, purchasing and managing services, and support -- offers increased transparency, trustworthiness, flexibility and on-demand convenience," Oberhofer said.

Subhra Das, CEO of Jawwy, said STC had launched the new brand to meet the growing demand among consumers for more control, transparency and personalisation of their plans "which wouldn't normally be possible due to the limitations of legacy IT systems."

He added: "The [ItsOn] platform automates key operator business and operational support functions -- such as billing, charging, rating, policy, activation, marketing and on-device purchases -- to deliver a superior digital consumer experience," Das said.

For more:
- see this ItsOn release

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