Saudi Arabian Telecom company STC launched in a partnership with HTC the first Arabic-enabled Android smartphone HTC Hero in the middle east and arab countries.

HTC Hero cost 2399 SAR (around $640 US) and include 1Gig internet subscription for free a value of 1200 SAR (around $320 US).

iPhone 3G is already available in Saudi Arabia by Mobily(second private telco in KSA), the 8G iphone is actually sold for 2400 SAR with a 250MB free.

STC, the largest telecommunication provider in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, covers an area of two million sq km, providing coverage to more than 100,000 km of highways and 98 per cent of inhabited areas across Saudi Arabia.

It has a larger customer base than any other provider in the Middle East – more than 19 million GSM, four million land line and one million DSL customers, the statement said. To date, STC has won telecom licenses in Kuwait and Bahrain and acquired shares in companies in Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and South Africa and is continuing to develop its outreach to become a global service provider.