RIYADH (WiMAX Day). The Saudi Arabian GSM operator Etihad Etisalat (brand name Mobily) announced that it will acquire the Saudi WiMAX network operator Bayanat al-Oula for 1.5 billion riyals (US$400 million). Mobily is owned by Emirates Telecommunications, which also owns Etisalat, the leading GSM network in the United Arab Emirates.

Bayanat is one of two companies licensed to provide WiMAX in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company has previously announced that it intends to deploy mobile WiMAX at the end of of 2007 in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Mecca. Bayanat is working with Samsung Electronics to supply its network equipment.