Saudi Arabia’s logistics and delivery sectors show increase in precision navigation, says what3words CEO

Based in London, What3words is a global address system designed to identify any location with a resolution of about 3 meters. Supplied/What3words
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Updated 01 October 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s logistics and delivery sectors show increase in precision navigation, says what3words CEO

  • What3words began operating in the Kingdom in 2018 and has since been implemented in several sectors
  • The UK-based company has signed agreements in the last year to partner with more Gulf-based companies

LONDON: Saudi Arabia is experiencing increased demand for precision navigation in the logistics sector as it becomes “an ultra-competitive area” where consumer service expectations are very high, according to an expert.

“Precision navigation is becoming a priority, especially for the logistics sector in the region, and if you want to divulge into Saudi Arabia, particularly, as logistics is a very important part of any kind of business at the moment ... what we’re seeing is this trend where precision navigation is becoming a really key theme,” Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words, told Arab News.

“It’s an ultra-competitive area and service expectations are becoming very high among consumers, people want to reduce calls they’re getting from delivery drivers, and they want to have a really good experience when they order online, and so, I think, especially now in Saudi Arabia, we’re just seeing a huge trend toward how can I become far more precise about that location,” he said.




What3words has been implemented in several sectors in Saudi Arabia, including emergency services, logistics, ride-sharing apps, delivery services, and giga projects. Supplied

What3words, a global address system designed to identify any location with a resolution of about 3 meters, began operating in the Kingdom in 2018.

It has since been implemented in several sectors, including by the Red Crescent for emergency services, along with logistics companies, ride-sharing apps and delivery services, in addition to being used by real estate developer ROSHN, who are rapidly developing and using it for their newly built properties in their communities and filtering out into private companies as well.

“We’re very proud to be part of that change which is happening in Saudi, around precision for navigation for all of these key industries of the on-demand economy and really hoping to thrive over the next few months toward the end of the year and with regards to the rest of the Middle East with the same (approach),” he said.

The UK-based company which was set up in 2013, has recently signed agreements in the last year to partner with more Gulf-based companies, while also enhancing existing cooperation deals and being more used by consumers, who are “getting what3words more ingrained in their daily lives,” Sheldrick added.

As part of the new partnerships, Saudi supermarket chain Tamimi Markets has adopted what3words for precise home delivery of groceries.

UAE-based ZAJEL Courier Services now also accepts what3words in the Emirates and Saudi Arabia to help improve delivery efficiency and enable retailers to offer more precise deliveries to their customers, making it the 23rd logistics company in the region to adopt what3words.

Last week, Kaafmeem, a Saudi fashion retailer specializing in women’s clothing, also partnered with what3words and the option has been added to the checkout page, so that customers can make sure they receive their goods to the correct 3 sq. meter entrance of their house, Sheldrick said.

“It’s a relatively small world around e-commerce, and we’re finding that the logistics companies themselves are recommending to retailers to add what3words on to the checkout page because they know that for themselves as delivery companies, it saves them time and money when they get that 3-meter precision, so I think we’re pretty cemented into the mobility, e-commerce and ecosystems there,” he added.




Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words, said Saudi Arabia is seeing a trend where precision navigation is becoming a really key theme. Supplied

Sheldrick said the Gulf and Middle East have historically struggled with accurate addresses, but “it feels like now the whole region is uniting around this movement,” from the on-demand economy, ride-hailing, e-commerce, to grocery delivery, and being able to get to the entrances of people’s homes “first time every time,” and he feels that this is being supported by governments, industry and by consumers themselves.

“With some of our existing customers, let’s say (Emirati multinational logistics, courier and package delivery company) Aramex, who are the first delivery company in the Gulf to adopt what3words, there’s always more and more touch points as these companies grow the ways they need to integrate and what3words grows as well.

“At the moment, we are really focused on replicating the household name status that what3words now enjoys in the UK, into the Gulf region and especially in Saudi Arabia.”




What3words is looking to incorporate technologies so the pinpoint addresses are valid on the ground and become part of the aerial life and aspect as well. Supplied

With the Kingdom looking to lead the way in building smart and futuristic cities, developing electric vehicles, self-driving vehicles and drone deliveries, Sheldrick said that what3words is looking to incorporate those technologies so the pinpoint addresses are not only valid on the ground but become part of the aerial life and aspect as well.

“With a lot of the technologies which are coming into the region, there’s now approval for vertical takeoff and landing, let’s say taxis, there’s drone delivery, autonomous cars — now, in each of these cases, the precise location where you’re going to is incredibly important and (it is) incredibly important to be precise and not vague on those locations.

“So, we think that those are ideal places for us to partner, as these new industries effectively are built, what3words wants to be there right at the beginning as the regulations are being signed off that these can now be happening in everyday life as addresses must be more precise, this is a great opportunity for us to be getting established alongside these new technologies taking hold in KSA and the wider region.”


Linguistic code-switching new norm for young Saudis

Updated 16 July 2025
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Linguistic code-switching new norm for young Saudis

  • Expert tells Arab News that ‘multi-dimensional issue’ deserves recognition

RIYADH: In Saudi Arabia’s increasingly globalized society, especially among young people in major cities, there is an easy blending of languages, often switching between Arabic and English in the same conversation.

This phenomenon, known as code-switching, has become a linguistic norm that reflects shifting social dynamics, culture and identity.

A 2024 study conducted by Kais Sultan Mousa Alowidha at Jouf University found that bilingual Saudis often switch between Arabic and English depending on the context, particularly in casual or professional settings.

The blending of languages can be seen not as a dilution of heritage, but a reflection of its outward-looking generation. (Supplied)

Saudi students who have studied or grown up abroad find themselves flipping between languages almost unconsciously.

Abdullah Almuayyad, a Saudi senior at the University of Washington, Seattle, who has spent more than half his life in the US, spoke to Arab News about his experiences with both languages.

“Comfort really depends on context,” he said. “Day-to-day I’m equally at ease in either language, but the setting matters.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in Riyadh has launched several initiatives to strengthen Arabic fluency, both for native speakers and non-native learners.

• A 2024 study from Jouf University found that bilingual Saudis often switch between Arabic and English depending on the context, particularly in casual or professional settings.

In business settings, he defaults to English because of his education and professional exposure, but casual or family settings feel more natural in Arabic.

“Sometimes my friends tease me because I’ll begin a sentence in Arabic, hit a complex business concept, and flip to English mid-stream.”

This mental switching, he explained, is often tied to topic-specific language associations.

Some topics are assigned to a specific language in his brain. “Once the topic surfaces, the corresponding language follows automatically.”

At an institutional level, efforts to preserve and promote Arabic are gaining traction in Saudi Arabia.

The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in Riyadh has launched several initiatives to strengthen Arabic fluency, both for native speakers and non-native learners.

Through academic partnerships, digital tools, and training programs, the academy is playing a key role in ensuring Arabic remains a vibrant and accessible language.

The institute reflects a broader national push to reinforce cultural identity amid the linguistic shifts brought on by globalization.

Majd Tohme, senior linguist at SURV Linguistics in Riyadh, told Arab News that code-switching is “a very multi-dimensional issue.”

He emphasized that the debate should not hinge on whether code-switching is good or bad.

“What we need to ask ourselves is, does code-switching work in the everyday context? And if it works, isn’t that the purpose of any linguistic pattern?”

He added that language purism might miss the point entirely.

“You don’t have to get involved in that language puritanism … and code-switching is not really something new. Languages are living organisms that evolve,” he explained.

Many words we consider native today, he noted, have foreign origins, such as from Persian or European languages, particularly in science and technology.

Still, there are concerns about the erosion of Arabic. Tohme acknowledged the threat but said it is not exclusive to Arabic.

“It is a threat to all languages,” he said, especially in the era of globalized communication where the internet has become a shared space dominated by English.

“You now have one internet that the world is sharing,” he explained. “It’s like one huge playground where you have 8 billion people trying to communicate with each other.”

And yet, there are signs of balance.

Almuayyad, for instance, actively challenges himself and his peers to preserve Arabic fluency.

“In eighth grade, even though my friends and I preferred English, we agreed to speak only Arabic until it felt natural,” he said. “Later, when my Arabic caught up, I switched and spoke only English with friends who wanted practice.”

For many, especially in Saudi Arabia’s larger cities, bilingualism no longer means choosing between one language over the other.

The constant nudge to challenge each other keeps both languages active and growing.

The Jouf University study found that bilingual Saudis strongly identify with both languages and do not believe that speaking English negates their cultural identity.

It also concluded that code-switching is often required in larger cities due to the abundance of non-Arabic speakers in public and professional environments.

Therefore, code-switching, especially in the Kingdom, appears to be less about identity loss and more about functionality.

As Saudi Arabia opens up globally and embraces multiculturalism under Vision 2030, this blending of languages could be seen not as a dilution of heritage, but a reflection of its outward-looking generation.

According to Tohme, the psychological impact of going abroad for a few years then returning to your home country also cannot be understated.

Students develop a certain nostalgia for home while spending so many years abroad speaking extensively in a foreign language. They may develop the determination to make a conscious effort to strengthen their Arabic-language skills again.

Almuayyad is someone who can relate to that and says if he had spent his whole life in the Kingdom, his language development might not have been that different.

“I see a lot of people in Saudi who use English freely because global media and online content are so dominant,” he explained.

Yet, he admits that growing up in one place can limit the push to step outside of your linguistic comfort zone. “My exposure to two cultures forced me to practice that stretch constantly.”

 


Saudi deputy FM meets European Commissioner in Brussels

Waleed Elkhereiji (L) and Dubravka Suica in Brussels. (Supplied)
Updated 15 July 2025
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Saudi deputy FM meets European Commissioner in Brussels

  • The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various fields and other topics of common interest

BRUSSELS: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji met European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica in Brussels on Tuesday.

The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in various fields and other topics of common interest, the Foreign Ministry said on X.

Haifa Al-Jadea, head of the Kingdom’s mission to the EU, was among the officials in attendance.

 


Saudi Arabia satisfied with Syrian measures to achieve stability after clashes

Syrian security forces take a position in the Mazraa area, near Sweida on July 14, 2025. (AFP)
Updated 15 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia satisfied with Syrian measures to achieve stability after clashes

  • Kingdom condemned continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, interference in its internal affairs, and the destabilization of its security and stability

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia expressed its satisfaction with measures taken by the Syrian government to achieve security and stability, maintain civil peace, and achieve sovereignty over all Syrian territory on Tuesday.

The Kingdom also condemned continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, interference in its internal affairs, and the destabilization of its security and stability, in flagrant violation of international law and the Syria-Israel Disengagement Agreement signed in 1974.

The condemnation comes after Israel launched strikes on Tuesday against Syrian government forces in the Druze-majority region of Sweida, saying it was acting to protect the religious minority.

Damascus had deployed troops to Sweida after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed more than 100 people.

Israel announced its strikes shortly after Syria’s defense minister declared a ceasefire in Sweida city, with government forces having entered the city in the morning.

The Kingdom renewed its call on the international community to stand by Syria, support it during this stage, and confront ongoing Israeli attacks and violations against Syria, Saudi Press Agency reported.


KSrelief distributes food baskets to displaced people in Lebanon, Sudan and Afghanistan

Updated 15 July 2025
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KSrelief distributes food baskets to displaced people in Lebanon, Sudan and Afghanistan

  • The aid agency distributed 120 food baskets to Afghan refugees who returned from Pakistan and settled in Omari camp near the Torkham border crossing
  • Over the past decade, KSrelief has run thousands of humanitarian initiatives in nearly 92 countries

RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief has distributed hundreds of food baskets to families in need in Sudan, Lebanon, and Afghanistan as part of ongoing efforts to alleviate the food security crisis in various countries.

KSrelief announced that 4,250 individuals will benefit from 700 food baskets distributed to displaced families affected by the armed conflict in Sudan, specifically in Al-Kamalin district of Gezira state.

In Afghanistan, the aid agency distributed 120 food baskets to Afghan refugees who returned from Pakistan and settled in Omari camp near the Torkham border crossing. At least 720 Afghans benefited from food baskets as part of a dedicated security and emergency project in Afghanistan for the 2025-2026 period.

Approximately 2,785 displaced Syrians living in Lebanon have received 577 food baskets from KSrelief volunteers in the western Beqaa Valley. This initiative is part of a project aimed at distributing food aid to support the most needy families in Lebanon, which has been significantly impacted by drought this summer.

Over the past decade, KSrelief has run thousands of humanitarian initiatives in 92 countries. Since its establishment in 2015, the aid agency has distributed food baskets to numerous countries, including Somalia, Mali, Bangladesh, Libya, and Palestine, among others.


Diriyah Dates Season celebrates sector’s growth and heritage

Updated 15 July 2025
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Diriyah Dates Season celebrates sector’s growth and heritage

  • Governor praises initiatives as exports hit $453m, production tops 1.9m tonnes
  • Ministry of Culture is also represented with a booth showcasing artisans specializing in palm-based crafts as part of the Year of Handicrafts

RIYADH: Diriyah Gov. Prince Fahd bin Saad bin Abdullah has praised the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture for developing the date production sector in the Kingdom and enhancing the quality of dates as a national product.

He highlighted the ministry’s support programs for farmers and initiatives that add value to dates, aligning with Vision 2030 goals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

His remarks came during the inauguration of the Diriyah Dates Season and accompanying exhibition, which runs until July 24.

The event, organized by the National Center for Palms and Dates, aims to boost the sale of Saudi dates locally and globally, and provide an insight into Diriyah’s heritage through cultural and social activities.

The exhibition features booths for date vendors, processed date products, palm by-products and items from family-run cottage industries. It also has restaurants, cafes, food trucks, workshops for adults and children, a date auction zone and a horse parade.

The Ministry of Culture is also represented with a booth showcasing artisans specializing in palm-based crafts as part of the Year of Handicrafts.

The Kingdom’s palm and date sector is growing rapidly. According to figures from the General Authority for Statistics production surpassed 1.9 million tonnes in 2024, with SR1.7 billion ($453 million) worth of dates exported to 133 countries, up significantly from the previous year.

This growth reflects the Kingdom’s strong production capacity and government efforts to improve quality, expand global outreach and develop supply chains.