Zain Kuwait: 'Fastest 5G', 'Best 5G Network', and 'Best Coverage'

Zain Kuwait maintained its golden treble of Ookla® Speedtest® awards for “Fastest 5G Network,” “Best 5G Network,” and “Best Mobile Network Coverage” for the first and second quarters of 2026, marking the second consecutive time it has achieved this feat, according to data from Ookla, one of the world’s leading platforms specializing in network intelligence, testing, and analytics. This achievement follows Zain’s win of the same three awards during the second half of 2025, reflecting sustained performance and strong network experience across consecutive testing periods. It embodies a commitment that goes beyond individual accomplishments, focusing instead on consistently delivering fast, reliable, and high-quality connectivity that keeps pace with evolving customer needs, lifestyles, communication habits, and use of digital services.

Commenting on the achievement, Nawaf Al-Gharbali, CEO of Zain Kuwait, said, “For us, network leadership is not measured by achieving outstanding performance for a limited period, but by the ability to sustain and continuously build upon that performance. These achievements reflect our capacity to deliver a reliable, high-quality experience to our customers across their daily digital activities, and they drive us to keep raising the bar in our ambition to deliver the best through Kuwait’s most awarded network.”

He added, “Our customers’ needs and expectations are constantly evolving, so we continue to develop our network to keep pace with this change and anticipate future requirements. Our goal is not merely to reach advanced performance levels, but to further enhance them, turning every investment and technological advancement into a better experience for our customers.”

This approach forms the core of our network strategy and supports Zain’s journey under the “4WARD - Progress with Purpose” strategy to transform into a customer-centric, integrated technology company ready for the future, guided by a clear purpose on its path to leadership.

On his part, Chip String, Chief Executive Officer of Ookla, said: “We are delighted to present Zain with the Speedtest awards for ‘Fastest 5G Network,’ ‘Best 5G Network,’ and ‘Best Coverage’ in Kuwait for the second consecutive year. This distinguished achievement reflects Zain’s commitment to delivering world-class connectivity and setting industry-leading standards for speed and reliability. We congratulate Zain on this outstanding accomplishment and look forward to its future contributions to the region’s digital landscape.”

This achievement comes as Zain continues to develop its network to meet evolving customer needs and the rapid growth of digital services. Following the launch of 5G-Advanced across Kuwait in 2025, the company continues to enhance its infrastructure, capabilities, and network intelligence, with a clear focus on translating technological advancements into a more powerful and seamless experience for customers.

By consistently achieving advanced performance in speed and network performance for its 5G network, alongside excellence in network coverage, Zain continues to place continuity at the heart of its network strategy, ensuring that innovation and technological progress translate into tangible value for customers across Kuwait.

Fastest 5G Network in Kuwait

According to Ookla’s analysis of the Kuwaiti market during the first and second quarters of 2026, Zain earned the title of the fastest 5G network in Kuwait, recording a Speed Score™ result of 72.77. The results also showed that Zain achieved an average download speed of 514.59 Mbps and an average upload speed of 34.74 Mbps, reflecting the network’s strong performance in meeting daily usage requirements.

The Fastest 5G Network award is based on the Speed Score™ methodology, which measures network performance in terms of data transfer speed and responsiveness. This methodology includes download and upload speeds alongside latency, with weights of 70% for download speed, 20% for upload speed, and 10% for latency, providing a more comprehensive performance assessment compared to relying solely on download speed.

Best Mobile Network Coverage in Kuwait

Zain also retained its title of best mobile network coverage in Kuwait, achieving a Coverage Score™ result of 45.40 during the first and second quarters of 2026. Ookla’s analytics documented Zain’s network coverage area at 7,844 square kilometers, based on data from 37,480 devices and more than 43.6 million scans, reflecting the extensive network experience available to customers across Kuwait.

This methodology measures the actual geographic footprint of a service provider’s mobile coverage using real-world measurements collected from device-based coverage scans. It applies data quality verification standards before dividing results into geographic areas and evaluating users’ success in connecting to the cellular network, thereby providing a data-driven view of actual service availability.

Best 5G Network in Kuwait

Zain also earned the title of best 5G network in Kuwait, recording a Speedtest Connectivity Score™ result of 82.24, the highest in the market during the first and second quarters of 2026. The results demonstrated strong performance across various elements that shape the overall customer experience on the 5G network, including a Speed Score™ result of 72.77 and a Web Browsing Score for web browsing

The Internet score reached 96.25, and the Video Streaming Score for video content delivery was 87.17. The title of the best 5G network is based on Ookla’s Speedtest Connectivity Score™ methodology, which provides a more comprehensive measure of connectivity experience by integrating real-world metrics including speed, latency, web browsing, and video streaming. The index is calculated as 50% for the Speed Score, 25% for the Web Browsing Score, and 25% for the Video Streaming Score, reflecting customer experience across a variety of everyday digital uses.