Zain KSA and Huawei Complete Proof of Concept in Saudi Arabia of World’s First End-to-End FWA Gaming Accelerator

Zain KSA, a leading Saudi digital service provider, in collaboration with Huawei, successfully conducted the first joint verification of FWA Gaming Acceleration at Zain KSA’s headquarters in Riyadh. This proof of concept (POC) accurately identifies gaming services and effectively ensures user experience and perception, marking the advent of a new era of differentiated wireless home broadband experiences.

FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) is a technology that extends fixed broadband connections. It utilizes Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to receive mobile signals from 5G base stations and convert them into Wi-Fi, providing network access for household users. Due to Saudi Arabia’s unique geography and a rich variety of indoor entertainment options, FWA quickly captured a large number of household users upon its introduction to the market. It addresses the challenges of deploying traditional fixed-line fiber optic networks while offering convenient and high-speed network connections.

Statistics show that the number of gamers in Saudi Arabia has exceeded 25 million, and their demands for home gaming network quality are increasing. The Gaming Acceleration feature, Service Turbo，jointly verified by Zain KSA and Huawei, is a targeted upgrade to the current FWA solution. The POC successfully demonstrated that under full network load (simulated using SpeedTest), the gaming service’s high speed and low latency were effectively ensured, with a 90% reduction in jitter and a 70% reduction in latency compared to scenarios without this feature.

The Service Turbo technology, primarily implemented through the slicing or dedicated bearer. Huawei’s 5G CPE Pro 5, accurately identifies gaming traffic and subsequently attach the game slicing or triggers the establishment of dedicated bearers in Huawei Core Network and RAN. This ensures the prioritized scheduling and allocation of network resources for gaming traffic. This breakthrough not only enhances and ensures the gaming experience but also rationally and accurately allocates limited network resources, helping Zain KSA offer new options to home broadband users in the market.

Zain KSA’s Vice President of Engineering, Eng. Mohammed Abdulaziz AlNujaidi, said: "At Zain KSA, we strive to deliver high-quality connectivity and innovative digital solutions that cater to the tech-savvy lifestyle of Saudi youth. Introducing the FWA Service Turbo aims to enhance the gaming experience, effectively addressing challenges such as network instability and latency. This innovative service is set to deliver differentiated experiences for our users, reflecting our commitment to meeting the evolving demands of a dynamic digital landscape"

Zain KSA has consistently adhered to its FWA strategic development. With the enhancement of multidimensional network capabilities from 5G to 5G-A, Zain KSA remains at the forefront of FWA innovation, meeting users’ differentiated network demands and setting a new benchmark for wireless home broadband adoption in the Saudi market and beyond.