Saudi Arabia’s largest MVNO builds on profitable growth, two differentiated brands and digital services spanning mobile connectivity, home broadband and financial inclusion.
Beyond ONE KSA has been named Best Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in the Middle East at the Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2026, recognising its growth in Saudi Arabia and its strategy of delivering differentiated digital services to consumers and expatriate communities.
The award was presented on 21 October at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach. Hani ElKukhun, Acting Group CEO of Beyond ONE, and Remo Schmid, Chairman, accepted it on behalf of the Saudi Arabian team led by CEO Yaarob Alsayegh.
Beyond ONE KSA has established itself as Saudi Arabia’s largest MVNO, holding close to half of the Kingdom’s MVNO market and approximately 10% of the overall mobile market, according to the company. It also ranks first in the market for subscriber-base growth. Since 2023, its active customer base has expanded by more than a third, reflecting continued demand for its mobile services.
The company attributes its performance to a two-brand strategy designed to address different customer segments. Virgin Mobile targets Saudi consumers with premium, digital-first mobile plans, while Friendi Mobile focuses on the Kingdom’s expatriate community, emphasising affordable pricing and international connectivity. Both operate on a shared platform, allowing the company to serve distinct audiences while building scale across its operations.
Beyond ONE KSA has also introduced services aimed at addressing specific consumer needs. In 2025, Virgin Mobile launched Switch Postpaid, which the company describes as Saudi Arabia’s first pay-as-you-use postpaid plan. The offering combines the convenience of postpaid service with charges based on the data customers consume.
“Everything we build starts with listening to our customers and the communities we serve.” — Yaarob Alsayegh, CEO, Beyond ONE KSA
In 2026, the company introduced Virgin Mobile Aman Plans, described as the Kingdom’s first network-level child protection service. Designed in response to parental concerns about children’s digital experiences, the service extends the company’s focus beyond connectivity to online safety.
Its portfolio has expanded into adjacent digital services as well. Virgin Mobile Vnet provides home broadband, while Friendi Pay offers mobile financial services aimed at the expatriate community. The latter supports broader financial inclusion objectives associated with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme.
Hani ElKukhun, Acting Group CEO of Beyond ONE, said the recognition reflected the work of the Saudi team and its focus on customer needs. He highlighted Aman Plans and Switch Postpaid as examples of how customer feedback had informed product development, adding that the company was seeking to combine commercial growth with tangible customer value.
For Alsayegh, the award reinforces the company’s ambition to build a broader digital-services relationship with customers rather than remain focused solely on mobile connectivity.
“Being named Best MVNO in the Middle East is a proud moment for every one of us in Saudi Arabia,” Alsayegh said. He added that the company’s expansion into home broadband and mobile financial services was intended to give customers a single partner for their connectivity and everyday digital needs.
Beyond ONE KSA’s next phase of growth will focus on extending services for households, families and expatriate customers across the Kingdom. Its challenge will be to sustain growth while differentiating its offerings in a competitive telecommunications market, where pricing, digital experience and service reliability increasingly influence customer choice.
The award was presented during Telecom Review’s industry programme, with ElKukhun also joining fellow industry leaders on the Telecom Leaders’ Panel at Telecom Review Summit 2026.
Founded in 2021, Beyond ONE is a global digital-services provider operating across telecommunications and adjacent digital services. Its portfolio includes Virgin Mobile MEA, Friendi Mobile MEA and Virgin Mobile Latin America, alongside the Virgin Connect brand. The group says it operates across markets in the Middle East and Latin America, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Mexico, Chile and Colombia.
For Beyond ONE KSA, the recognition highlights a strategy built around combining mobile-market scale with services designed for specific customer communities. Its longer-term success will depend on whether that approach can continue to deliver measurable value as the Kingdom’s digital economy expands.
