News

Saudi Telecom Company Partners With Cubic Telecom To Deliver In-Car Services

Published

5 years ago

March 12, 2021

saudi telecom company partners with cunic telecom to deliver in car services

Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the largest mobile network operator in Saudi Arabia, has recently announced a partnership with Irish company Cubic Telecom, a leading enabler of automotive connectivity. Together, the two companies will develop in-car services for Saudi drivers, making the country’s vision of a connected future a step closer to reality.

“Partnering with Cubic enables STC as a digital enabler to simplify the delivery and management of advanced in-car services and gives us a foundation for innovating and meeting the changing needs of customers as new services evolve,” commented Dr. Sultan bin Saeed, VP of Business Development at STC.

The suite of tools provided by Cubic, called Connected Car, includes a solution that makes it possible for drivers to remotely monitor and control their vehicles via a smartphone app. It also includes an emergency calling system capable of automatically notifying emergency services in the event of a car crash.

Currently, Cubic’s in-car connectivity solution can be found in more than five million vehicles across 100 countries. The solution is embedded into vehicles at the manufacturing stage, and it gives car manufacturers the ability to collect data on cars’ performance and issue remote software updates.

“Cubic’s connected software is driving performance for carmakers and providing in-car services in key markets. We are delighted to be working with STC to help car manufacturers activate new opportunities in a very significant market,” said Barry Napier, CEO of Cubic Telecom.

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Saudi Arabia has been making significant investments to improve its telecommunications infrastructure and prepare it for the era of the Internet of Things, enabled by 5G connectivity.

In the future, connected cars are expected to be part of a larger ecosystem consisting, among other things, of smart road infrastructure, such as intelligent traffic lights that are aware of real-time traffic conditions and are able to communicate with self-driving vehicles to help them safely reach their destinations.

News

Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform

Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.

Published

23 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Joanna Melki

lebanon ministers meet visa over national digital payment platform

Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.

The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.

Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.

Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.

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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.

“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.

Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.