Telco giants STC and e& are reshaping the Middle East’s Digital Signage and ProAV landscape as they evolve into the region’s most powerful ICT integrators. The new partnership between Navori and Solutions by STC highlights how global digital signage meets national digital transformation and complements the existing partnership with e&.
Middle East: Navori Strengthens Middle East Presence
The Middle East continues to stand out as one of the fastest‑growing ICT regions worldwide, driven largely by two dominant players: STC Group in Saudi Arabia and e& (formerly Etisalat) in the UAE. Both operators, once traditional telecom monopolies, have transformed into full‑scale ICT, cloud computing and digital transformation powerhouses that now shape the region’s enterprise, public‑sector, and smart‑city landscapes.
STC Group reported the highest revenues in its history in 2025, reaching USD 20.7 billion, a 2.5 percent increase year‑on‑year and a strong reflection of the company’s diversified business model. e&, the only regional player comparable in size, has not yet published its 2025 results, but remains a central force across cloud, cybersecurity, mobility, and enterprise ICT services. Together, these two groups form the backbone of digital transformation across the GCC.
Navori Strengthens Middle East Presence Through Solutions by STC
Swiss digital signage platform provider Navori Labs has long been active in the Middle East. In 2026, the company is strengthening its regional footprint through a new strategic partnership with Solutions by STC, the ICT subsidiary of the Saudi telecom giant and the largest shareholder in Spanish telco Telefónica.
The collaboration focuses on delivering enterprise‑grade digital signage solutions across government services, critical‑infrastructure environments, and the broader business sector. The joint offering including STC’s ICT integration and cloud services aims to support the Kingdom’s ambitious smart‑city initiatives by improving communication, enhancing engagement, and enabling future‑ready digital technologies. The new STC partnership complements the longtime relations with UAE-based e&.
From Telco Monopolies to ICT Integrators
The transformation of STC and e& over the past decade has also reshaped the structure of the regional ProAV and digital signage market. What were once national telecom incumbents have evolved into the Middle East’s largest B2B service providers, supporting thousands of enterprise and public‑sector customers across the GCC. Their portfolios now extend far beyond connectivity, encompassing unified communications, digital workplace solutions, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and large‑scale digital signage networks.
While highly experiential installations and architecturally complex projects often remain the domain of specialized integrators such as Blue Rhine, Connectiv, and the local subsidiaries of international players like AVI‑SPL, Trison, and Mood Media, it is STC and e& that dominate enterprise‑scale digital signage, corporate communication platforms, and public‑sector deployments. In a region where many of the largest companies maintain close links to government entities, the telco‑ICT groups have become a preferred choice for full‑stack digital workplace and ProAV solutions.
