Zain Saudi Arabia has launched a 150 Mbps LTE-Advanced network, claiming a world first for aggregating frequencies in the 2.1 GHz and 1800 MHz bands.

"The launch of our new LTE-A network in Saudi Arabia is another step of our commitment to offer the best and most innovative solutions to our customers," said Hassan Kabbani, CEO of Zain KSA, in a statement on Wednesday.

The launch comes nearly four years after Zain KSA switched on its LTE network. It, along with its rivals STC and Mobily, all insisted they were the first to market.

Then, last June, Zain KSA signed an €882 million network upgrade deal with Huawei, Nokia, NEC and Cisco to provide it with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Wednesday's LTE-A launch was announced by one those partners, Huawei.

The two companies have been working together on a 'Tech City' project in Saudi Arabia to explore various network technologies, including LTE-A, in a bid to provide the best voice, Web and video experiences to the operator's customers.

"The latest innovative solutions in mobile broadband connectivity are shaping the future of Saudi Arabia's telecom market. These technologies are increasingly viewed as enablers of continued economic and social development that support the government's vision of a knowledge-based digital economy," said Ramadan Ding, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia.

The new network doubles Zain KSA's 4G capacity to 150 Mbps from 75 Mbps.

"Huawei will continue to offer our partnership providing the latest mobile broadband innovations to help improve Zain’s customer services," Ding said.