stc Group successfully deployed Nokia's MantaRay Autopilot, powered by artificial intelligence, during the last Hajj season in the Makkah region. Hajj is one of the largest and busiest annual events in the world for telecom networks. This solution enabled seamless and independent network operations, helping stc deliver uninterrupted, high-quality services to millions of pilgrims. stc's success in deploying the new system reflects its efforts to achieve the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to develop the national digital infrastructure through smart technologies.
stc group
The Mantarai Autopilot system is designed to monitor the performance of wireless access networks and make any necessary adjustments, immediately and without human intervention. The system uses self-healing network technology to detect faults, redistribute network load, and improve coverage. To deploy this solution, the system also analyzed network behavior data from previous Hajj seasons to help anticipate congestion and support proactive planning by stc's specialized operations teams.
These capabilities enabled STC Group to handle demand more flexibly during peak times. During peak load, the system performed more than 15,000 automatic network adjustments per hour, a 50% increase over 2024. It reduced mobile outages by 60%, achieved a 10% increase in peak throughput, and boosted average network speeds by 20-30%.
Latest technology
On this occasion, Eng. Haitham Alfaraj, Chief Technology Officer at stc Group, emphasized stc Group's commitment to utilizing the latest technologies to provide the best experience for its customers, especially during times of dire need, such as the Hajj season. He said, "By leveraging Nokia's cognitive AI, we have ensured that millions of pilgrims remain connected throughout the Hajj season, which is one of the world's busiest and most demanding communications environments."
Nokia Networks
For his part, Mikko Lavanti, Senior Vice President, Mobile Networks, Nokia Middle East and Africa, said that this achievement demonstrates the power of artificial intelligence and automation in managing large-scale, high-density network environments. He expressed his pride in supporting stc Group in achieving highly reliable performance during the Hajj season and in highlighting the pioneering role of the Mantarai Autopilot system in autonomous network operations.
Mantarai platform
MantaRay Autopilot is a key component of Nokia's leading MantaRay Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) platform, which applies intent-based AI models to automate and optimize radio access networks (RANs). The platform supports advanced automation tools such as SON modules and rApps and is the only SMO solution to achieve Level 4 certification within the TM Forum Autonomous Networks ecosystem.
