Etihad Salam Telecom Company Announces Exclusive New Visitor’s Line for Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims

Etihad Salam Telecom Company, a leading provider of telecommunications services in Saudi Arabia, today unveiled a new Visitor’s Line for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. Through unique packages with built-in social media connectivity, the offering will ensure that pilgrims can focus on their spiritual journey with seamless and stress-free connectivity.

As part of its economic diversification strategy, Saudi Arabia has set a goal to host 30 million pilgrims by 2030, with more than 18.5 million pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia performing Hajj and Umrah in 2024 alone. Initiatives like the Pilgrim Experience Program is enhancing efforts to facilitate more Umrah visitors and improve access to the Holy Mosques, further supporting the country’s hospitality goals.

Recent trends indicate a shift towards a heightened reliance on data for sharing experiences and staying connected. The Communications, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) observed notable telecommunications activity among pilgrims at the holy sites during Eid Al-Adha in 2024, reporting 44.8 million voice calls with a success rate exceeding 99%. In the same period, data usage soared to 5.79 petabytes (PB), underscoring the increasing reliance on digital connectivity. Furthermore, the average daily data consumption per individual reached 779.93 MB, significantly exceeding the global average of 380 MB.[1] Understanding the evolving needs of today’s pilgrims, Etihad Salam has created its plans to serve the heightened dependence on data and reduced need for international calling. The newly launched offerings come packed with generous data limits, social media usage, and ample flex minutes for local calls within Saudi Arabia and 40 global destinations.

Amr Eldesouky, Chief Consumer Officer at Etihad Salam Telecom Company said: “At Etihad Salam Telecom Company, we believe in facilitating Hajj and Umrah with seamless connectivity, allowing our customers to focus on their spiritual path without worldly distractions. Our new Visitor’s Line is designed to ensure that pilgrims from around the globe can share their profound moments and stay connected, embodying our core value of offering peace of mind. With our plans, pilgrims are not just connected, they are cared for, at every step of their journey.”

As pilgrims prefer utilizing data for sharing visuals and leveraging instant messaging for quick communications, Etihad Salam’s unique offering includes social media in entry-level packages ensures that pilgrims can share their sacred moments without constraints, a first in the market. The packages stand out for their unparalleled inclusivity, covering an expansive list of countries, catering to the diverse nationalities that participate in Hajj and Umrah each year. The tailored plans, coupled with a deep understanding of the demographic’s connectivity needs, places Etihad Salam as the go-to telecom partner for pilgrims from across the globe.