stc Group, an engine of digital transformation in the MENA region, today announced that its subsidiary TAWAL has officially begun operations in Europe.

The announcement follows the completion of TAWAL’s acquisition of United Group’s telecom tower assets in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, on April 25, 2023, as part of stc Group's strategy to expand.

TAWAL now owns and operates over 4,800 sites across Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, providing services to its new clients in these countries. The latest acquisition represents the second step of TAWAL’s expansion plan following the launch of TAWAL Pakistan in 2022. The total towers portfolio of TAWAL now exceeds 21,000, across five countries.

Tapping into the European market’s growth potential — particularly with regards to the roll-out of 5G and adaptation of mobile services — TAWAL aims to ensure a reliable and efficient ICT infrastructure network to all mobile networks operators (MNOs) in these markets. TAWAL aims to bring significant investments, best processes and practices, as well as innovative products to its portfolio. The company will leverage its expertise in managing critical and robust infrastructure across KSA to bolster the European markets by accelerating the deployment of ICT infrastructure in those markets.

TAWAL CEO Mohammed Alhakbani said: “We are delighted to launch our operations in Europe. This achievement constitutes an important turning point for TAWAL to expand its footprints to other important markets. Leveraging our resources and best practices, we aim to bring even more value to the European markets by enabling our customers to operate more efficiently.”