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RIYADH: ��������Ƶ’s Tadawul All Share Index was steady on Wednesday, as it marginally shed 7.21 points or 0.06 percent to close at 12,362.39.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR7.62 billion ($2.03 billion), with 109 of the listed stocks advancing and 122 falling.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also declined 317 points to close at 31,000.87, while the MSCI Tadawul Index edged down by 0.26 percent to 1,545.02.

The best-performing stock on the main market was Naseej International Trading Co. The firm’s share price surged by 9.96 percent to SR108.20.

Naseej was one of the three Tadawul-listed firms, alongside Saudi Cable Co. and Middle East Specialized Cables Co., to hit their highest levels in a year.

Saudi Cable Co. peaked today at SR128, compared to SR62.9 in March, a 103.58 percent increase.

Middle East Specialized Cables Co. share price jumped from SR21.28 in January 2024 to close at SR47.2 today.

Naseej International Trading Co.’s share price increased 55.7 percent from January last year to close at SR98.4 on Wednesday.

Other top gainers were Jahez International Co. for Information System Technology and Middle East Healthcare Co., whose share prices grew by 6.09 percent and 4.75 percent, to SR33.95 and SR79.40, respectively.

National Medical Care Co. and Al Jouf Cement Co. also saw a positive change, with their share prices surging by 4.12 percent and 4.01 percent to SR161.6 and SR11.92, respectively.  

Elm Co. saw the steepest decline of the day, with its share price dropping 4.03 percent to close at SR1,176.2.  

United International Transportation Co. and Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication Co. declined, with their shares slipping 2.72 percent and 2.66 percent to SR82.30 and SR102.60, respectively. 

On Nomu, Armah Sports Co. was the best performer, with its share price rising by 7.34 percent to reach SR95.  

Quara Finance Co. also delivered a strong performance as its share price rose by 5.26 percent, reaching SR20, while Arabian Food and Dairy Factories Co. recorded a 2.99 percent increase at SR99.  

WSM for Information Technology Co. shed the most on Nomu, with its share price dropping by 6.33 percent to reach SR53.3.  

Saudi Parts Center Co. experienced a 6.25 percent decline in share prices, closing at SR60, while First Avenue for Real Estate Development Co. 6.04 percent to settle at SR9.02. 

RIYADH: Lebanon’s state-owned telecom company Ogero is working to restore and expand the country’s connectivity after experiencing damages due to the Israeli conflict.

The clashes have significantly disrupted Lebanon’s telecom infrastructure, impeding connectivity and slowing the nation’s digital advancement.

Ogero’s Chairman and Director General Imad Kreidieh announced in a live broadcast that the company’s expansion plans will resume, supported by funding from multiple donors.

According to Kreidieh, Ogero connected 221,000 households to fiber-optic Internet in 2024 and plans to add 406,000 new subscribers to the network this year.

The company is also upgrading from Wi-Fi 5, currently used at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, to Wi-Fi 7. The upgrade will provide speeds of up to 3,500 megabits per second with ultra-low latency of 2—4 milliseconds. 

The network’s backhaul capacity is being upgraded from 20 gigabits per second to 40 Gbps to support enhanced connectivity, according to Kreidieh.

Ogero is also expanding its LTE infrastructure, increasing the number of stations from 97 to 219 by the end of 2025 and 390 by 2026, which translates to better and wider coverage nationwide. 

The LTE-Advanced capacity will be quadrupled from 10 Gbps to 40 Gbps to enhance performance and service quality.

The top official also said that Ogero will build 215 new stations in the southern and Baalbek regions, which were heavily damaged by Israeli strikes, over the next 24 months, allowing users to regain connectivity.

In a move toward sustainability, Ogero is also implementing solar energy solutions for 358 sites, with a 4-megawatt production capacity and 463 kiloampere-hours storage capacity. The $9.6 million project is expected to generate $8.5 million in annual savings, according to Kreidieh.

Ogero serves as the core of the Ministry of Telecommunications, providing essential infrastructure for all telecom networks, including mobile operators, data service providers, and Internet service providers.