LG Uplus announced that it is collaborating with Zain KSA, the largest telecommunications provider in the region, for the expansion of its AI agent service ‘ixi-O’ into the Middle East.
LG Uplus and Zain KSA signed a business agreement on the 4th (local time) at MWC25 in Barcelona, Spain, for the global launch of the AI service ‘ixi-O.’ Attending the signing ceremony were Lee Jae-won, head of the consumer division at LG Uplus, and Mohammed Abdulaziz AlNujaidi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Zain KSA, along with representatives from both companies.
Founded in 1983 and based in Kuwait, Zain KSA is a telecommunications provider offering services in five Middle Eastern countries (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan) and three African countries (Morocco, Sudan, and South Sudan).
Through this agreement, LG Uplus will collaborate with Zain KSA to launch the AI service ‘ixi-O’ in countries where Zain KSA provides telecommunications services. Zain KSA plans to enhance its competitive edge in telecommunications by utilizing AI-based services such as on-device AI real-time voice phishing detection, caller identification, call recording and summarization, and post-call information retrieval offered by ‘ixi-O.’
As the first step for the Middle East expansion of the ‘ixi-O’ service, LG Uplus plans to collaborate with Zain KSA, which provides telecommunications services in Saudi Arabia. Zain KSA is the third-largest telecommunications provider in Saudi Arabia, with over 8.7 million customers, and is attempting to integrate ‘ixi-O’ into its telecommunications services in line with the Saudi government’s AI promotion policies.
Based on LG Uplus’s AI capabilities and know-how in providing the ‘ixi-O’ service, the plan is to develop and offer customized services by combining data held by Zain KSA. The two companies plan to continue their collaboration with the goal of launching the ‘ixi-O’ service in Saudi Arabia as early as this year.
Lee Jae-won, consumer division head (vice president) of LG Uplus, said, “We will strive to create synergies with Zain KSA in the AI agent service area based on the strengths of ‘ixi-O,’ an AI service that can be used safely.” He also noted, “In the future, LG Uplus plans to secure differentiated AI service competitiveness and collaborate with various global businesses to expand into the global market.”
Mohammed Abdulaziz AlNujaidi, CTO of Zain KSA, stated, “Zain KSA will provide the best customer experience by integrating advanced networks and new technologies, and will strive to improve the digital experience using AI in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project.” He added, “We will continue to collaborate to enable customers in Saudi Arabia to access key AI functions, including the real-time voice phishing detection feature of LG Uplus’s ‘ixi-O.’”