13/04/2026 04:30 AST
Zain Kuwait has added another major international win to its growing record of network leadership accolades, winning three prestigious awards from Ookla Speedtest - the world's leading platform for network intelligence, testing and analytics. The recognition was made on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2026) in Barcelona, Spain.
The company secured the titles of Fastest 5G Network in Kuwait, Best Coverage in Kuwait and Best 5G Network in Kuwait, based on Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data for the second half of 2025 from millions of user-initiated tests in Kuwait. The recognition reinforces Zain's position at the forefront of network excellence in the Kuwaiti market and reflects the strength, consistency and maturity of its connectivity infrastructure.
This reflects Zain's sustained investment in advanced network infrastructure, continuous coverage expansion, and ongoing optimization of the customer experience across the country. It also highlights the company's focus on delivering consistent 5G performance, strong network reliability, and high-quality connectivity through a long-term strategy centered on innovation, efficiency and operational excellence.
Nawaf Al-Gharabally, CEO of Zain Kuwait, said: "This is a powerful validation of the long-term investments and disciplined execution behind our network strategy. Being recognized across 5G speed, network performance, and coverage reflects our commitment to delivering a reliable, high-quality experience that customers can feel every day, wherever they are in Kuwait."
He added: "This recognition reflects the progress of the '4WARD - Progress with Purpose' strategy, to build a customer-centric, future-ready, and impactful TechCo. We will continue investing in advanced infrastructure, digital capabilities, and innovation to raise the bar for connectivity in Kuwait and support the country's wider digital transformation ambitions."
"Presenting Zain with the Speedtest Awards for Best 5G Network, Fastest 5G Network and Best Mobile Coverage in Kuwait underscores their unwavering commitment to providing top-tier mobile services," said Stephen Bye, President and CEO of Ookla. "This recognition is based on comprehensive analysis of millions of consumer-initiated tests taken with Speedtest, reflecting real-world performance. Zain has demonstrated a willingness to invest in their network and focus on operational excellence, which are crucial for enhancing user experience and driving digital progress in Kuwait."
This recognition comes as Zain Kuwait continues to accelerate the evolution of its network and digital ecosystem through a broader transformation agenda that combines advanced infrastructure investments with customer experience, operational intelligence and future-readiness. It also follows the company's recent 5G-Advanced launch in June 2025, which unlocked new horizons for Kuwait's digital economy and technological innovation.
Through this continued momentum, Zain Kuwait remains focused on delivering more than connectivity alone. The company is building an intelligent, scalable, and future-ready network environment that supports consumer digital lifestyles, enterprise needs and Kuwait's national digital ambitions, while maintaining a strong emphasis on service excellence, innovation and meaningful customer impact.
Fastest 5G Network in Kuwait
According to Ookla's Q3 and Q4 2025 market analysis for Kuwait, Zain was ranked the Fastest 5G Network in the country with a Speed Score of 73.06, leading the market in the category during the evaluation period. The report also showed Zain delivering the highest median 5G download speed at 521.15 Mbps and recording the highest test count at 312,041, reflecting both the scale of network usage and the consistency of the experience delivered across Kuwait.
Ookla's Fastest 5G Network award is not based on raw speed alone, but on its Speed Score methodology, which measures overall network performance through a broader view of throughput and responsiveness. The methodology incorporates download and upload performance alongside latency, using 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile results, with weighted components of 70 percent for download speed, 20 percent for upload speed, and 10 percent for latency. This gives the recognition added significance as an independent reflection of real network quality across the market, rather than a single headline metric.
Best Coverage in Kuwait
According to Ookla's Q3 and Q4 2025 market analysis for Kuwait, Zain was ranked Best Mobile Coverage in the country with a Coverage Score of 46.06, leading the market in verified coverage during the evaluation period. The report also showed Zain recording the widest verified coverage area at 7,965 km², based on 39,433 devices and more than 42 million scan records, reflecting the breadth and consistency of its network footprint across Kuwait.
Ookla's Coverage Score is designed to measure the spatial extent of a provider's verified coverage through an independent, data-driven methodology built on billions of measurements and hundreds of millions of mobile coverage scans collected daily. After applying quality filters, the data is grouped into spatial bins and classified according to whether users were in service or successfully registered on a cellular network, giving the recognition added weight as a reflection of real coverage availability and service presence across the market, rather than a purely theoretical network claim.
Best 5G Network in Kuwait
According to Ookla's Q3 and Q4 2025 market analysis for Kuwait, Zain was ranked the Best 5G Network in the country with a Speedtest Connectivity Score of 83.61, the highest recorded in the market during the evaluation period. The report also showed Zain leading in key components that shape the overall connected experience, including the highest Speed Score at 73.06 and the highest Web Browsing Score at 97.23, reinforcing the strength and consistency of its 5G performance across everyday digital use cases in Kuwait.
Ookla's Best 5G Network award is based on the Speedtest Connectivity Score, a broader measure of network experience that goes beyond standalone speed results. The methodology combines multiple real-world performance indicators, including speed, latency, web browsing and video streaming, to provide a more comprehensive reflection of how users experience the network in practice. With weighting distributed across Speed Score at 50 percent, Web Browsing Score at 25 percent and Video Streaming Score at 25 percent, the recognition carries added significance as an independent validation of overall 5G quality connected experience across the market.
Ookla, a global leader in connectivity intelligence, brings together the trusted expertise of Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau, and RootMetrics to deliver unmatched network and connectivity insights. By combining multi-source data with industry-leading expertise, we transform network performance metrics into strategic, actionable insights.
Ookla is a division of Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD), a vertically focused digital media and Internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, health and wellness, connectivity, cybersecurity, and martech.
Kuwait Times
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