Adapting to the times

TDT | Manama

Adapting to changes in consumer behaviour, caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) globally, is essential for business continuity amidst the current crisis, stc Bahrain CEO Nezar Banabeela said. Banabeela was speaking yesterday during a live video conference with members of the local media.

He talked about some of the challenges brought about by COVID-19 to both individual consumers and companies alike, and the steps taken by stc Bahrain to overcome those troubles. “The home has become the digital command centre,” he said.

“Digitisation has taken over almost all our daily activities; the shift of offline to the digital world over the last few weeks has been nothing short of dramatic, and there is a continuous increase in the demand for data.

“In our company, we feel proud by bringing the digital transformation not only to our company and customers but also to all of Bahrain. We have been at the forefront of accommodating new trends, creating new experiences that revolve around our customers, and fulfilling their desires in connecting their lives.

“COVID-19 has impacted all of us; the way we live and the way we work. In these moments of disaster response and prevention, as companies, we need to make alternative plans for business continuity to protect us against unpredicted breaks in our operations, handling disruptions, and supporting our relationships with our partners.

“At stc, our growing responsibility with everyone is to stay connected and ensure our service and support are not heavily impacted by the virus. “We have continued to deliver on this; 100 per cent business continuity across people, businesses, operations and partners.

We believe this is why companies today have to have quick adaptation.” Banabeela explained that some of the initiatives taken by stc Bahrain to meet the constantly changing consumer demands included massive upgrades in their network and information technology and changes in the company’s processes and procedures.

“If we look at the increase in data demand year on year, for most of the region it is 25 to 28 per cent; this is according to international reports. This was in the norm with business as usual,” he said.

“During this period, the increase has been more significant, with the demand going up even 200 per cent. “But more important than this number is that we have been able to stand stable, with all the significant increases during the last six to eight weeks – a week on week it was increasing – we delivered.”

Banabeela highlighted that stc Bahrain was even able to launch their fibre internet services during recent weeks, and they are also now leading providers of 5G bandwidth in the Kingdom.

“Fibre is one of the major services we launched during this difficult time, which gives a clear picture that our company is strong,” Banabeela explained.

“Our profitability is one of the things we are monitoring, but it is more important for us today that we deliver a unique service to our customers and stand with the government in this difficult time.

“The minute the crisis happened, the first thing we saw was the capabilities of 5G. The bandwidth 5G can give and speed it can provide, this is where it is showing that we are pioneers. We have the network and the capabilities.

“We are now covering 50 per cent of the population with 5G, and we saw a huge increase in the customer requirement with their adaptation after they saw benefits of it.

“Most important is how we make sure our operations can deliver in these critical times; to keep the network running with these upgrades and new technologies. This by itself is so important, not only for the economy but also for society to stay connected.”

Banabeela revealed that stc Bahrain will soon be announcing “a huge project”, one that he described “will contribute significantly to the economy of Bahrain”.

“Soon there will be great news; we are just waiting for one more green light, and then the whole market will talk about what we will come up with,” he said. “It will show everyone who stc and the stc Group are.”