Saudi Arabia’s mobile services revenue to reach $17.4b by 2030 on 5G growth

• Mobile voice revenue to contract at a 3.4% growth over 2025–2030 as average revenue per user declines amid users’ growing reliance on OTT and internet-based communications.
• Average monthly mobile data usage in Saudi Arabia is expected to increase from 56.2 GB in 2025 to about 129.9 GB in 2030.
• 4G will remain the leading network by subscriptions until 2026.
• 5G subscriptions will surpass 4G and are projected to account for 93% of total mobile subscriptions by 2030, driven by ongoing network expansion.

Saudi Arabia’s total mobile services revenue is projected to grow at a 4.5 per cent CAGR from $13.9 billion in 2025 to $17.4 billion in 2030, fueled by rising adoption of mobile data services—particularly over 5G—according to GlobalData’s Saudi Arabia Mobile Broadband Forecast.

GlobalData expects mobile voice revenue to contract at a 3.4 per cent CAGR over 2025–2030 as average revenue per user (ARPU) declines amid users’ growing reliance on OTT and internet-based communications. In contrast, mobile data revenue is forecast to increase at a 6.6 per cent CAGR over the same period, supported by uptake of higher-ARPU 5G plans.

STC leads the way

“The average monthly mobile data usage in Saudi Arabia is expected to increase from 56.2 GB in 2025 to about 129.9 GB in 2030, as consumption of high-bandwidth online entertainment and social media content over smartphones continues to increase supported by operators’ data-centric plans,” said Kantipudi Pradeepthi, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData.

By technology, 4G will remain the leading network by subscriptions until 2026. Thereafter, 5G subscriptions will surpass 4G and are projected to account for 93 per cent of total mobile subscriptions by 2030, driven by ongoing network expansion.

In October 2025, STC launched a national initiative under Vision 2030 to extend 5G coverage to more than 2,000 sites, prioritising less densely populated regions.

STC leads the market by subscription share in 2025, followed by Mobily and Zain. GlobalData expects STC to maintain its lead through 2030 on continued 5G rollout and growth opportunities in machine-to-machine and IoT services.