KUWAIT: Zain Kuwait has been named ‘5G-Advanced Network Innovation Leader GCC 2026’ by CFI.co (Capital Finance International), in recognition of its leadership in developing and operationalizing advanced network technologies to deliver tangible value for customers, businesses and Kuwait’s digital economy. The recognition followed an assessment by the CFI.co judging panel, which highlighted Zain Kuwait’s practical and commercially grounded approach to 5G-Advanced innovation. The panel recognized the company’s ability to align network investment with customer behavior, spectrum economics, service quality and long-term strategic value, rather than pursuing technology deployment in isolation. The award reflects Zain Kuwait’s continued transformation from a connectivity provider into an agile, customer-centric TechCo, guided by its ‘4WARD - Progress with Purpose’ strategy and aligned with Kuwait Vision 2035. Zain was among the first operators to commercially launch nationwide 5G-Advanced services in Kuwait in 2025, delivering coverage across most of the country and establishing a stronger foundation for next-generation digital services. The company further reinforced its 5G-Advanced roadmap by recently completing a regional-first ultra-high-capacity network test that reached 31 Gbps. The test used advanced multi-carrier spectrum aggregation across the n41, n77, and n78 sub-6 GHz bands and millimeter-wave spectrum, demonstrating the potential of combining broad, reliable coverage with extreme capacity in dense, high-demand areas. The milestone reflects Zain’s leadership in network development and strategic investment, including targeted densification in high-traffic areas, intelligent capacity management, and the deployment of additional capacity where it can deliver the greatest customer and commercial impact. It also reflects the network’s readiness for advanced fixed wireless access, enterprise-grade connectivity, large-scale IoT, smart environments, and applications requiring high throughput and ultra-low latency. A key element of Zain Kuwait’s approach is its shift from conventional network performance indicators toward customer experience-focused management. Using analytics and AI-enabled tools, Zain can identify potential issues earlier, analyze traffic patterns,