Subscribers of Mobily, the Saudi Arabian mobile operator, get to receive local and international calls for free from 56 countries, a report said.

The service has been made possible as a result of one of the largest roaming agreements ever, involving more than 100 GSM operators worldwide, according to the Gulf News report.

Among the countries are the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Sudan, Libya, France, Switzerland, Japan, Finland, Denmark and Norway.

Subscribers can also get free SMS messages through the operating networks in 51 countries, under the new service.

Mobily's customers can move from one network to another free of charge, an official said.

The telecom operator had slashed its rates by as much as 60 per cent for both local and international calls.