MUSCAT: Omantel, the leading provider of integrated telecommunications services in the Sultanate, today reaffirmed its commitment to the development of the telecom sector in the Sultanate despite socio-political pressure and demand for telecom services further becoming price sensitive.
On the occasion of World Telecommunications Day, which comes this year under the theme ‘Big Data for Big Impact,’ Talal Said al Maamari, Omantel’s Chief Executive Officer, reiterated the company’s commitment to its transformational ‘Omantel 3.0’ strategy and its vision to lead the digitization in the Sultanate and become the ‘Carrier of Carriers’ in the Middle East and in key global markets.
At a time when market conditions are rapidly changing, ICT solutions and customer experience have emerged as key focus areas for Omantel. In keeping with this commitment, Omantel continues to invest in its networks to meet increasing demand for data services and to enhance customer experience. The major thrust of this strategy is around the digitization drive which aims to leverage big data to integrate core services from transportation, retail, home security, utilities and many others to enrich the lives of people.
Omantel’s solutions are hailed as revolutionary for these industries — especially its IoT services which have been designed to enhance the digital landscape in the Sultanate. For instance, Omantel recently established mOmken in partnership with a global IoT provider based in France. mOmken develops applications and services across a wide spectrum of smart, connected objects and M2M communications.
Additionally, last year Omantel also announced the formation of a dedicated division focused on delivering Information Communication Technology (ICT) services to public and private sector clients across the Sultanate. The division provides clients with comprehensive technology solutions enabled by Omantel’s leading global partnerships and expansive network infrastructure. The division aligns with Omantel’s vision to bridge the digital divide, roll-out smart technology and launch innovative business and e-Government services, accelerating Oman’s ascension towards better ICT preparedness and global standings. Since inception, Omantel, the first carrier in Sultanate, has been playing a tremendous role in connecting the most remote parts within the Sultanate. Over the past few years, the company has emerged as a truly global telecommunications player, positioning Oman at the forefront of technology application by connecting the West to the Far East.
Eastern countries included in the index and the report credited the country’s infrastructure as a key strength — especially the 4G network coverage (https://theinclusiveinternet.eiu.com/). The Sultanate is also the third Arab country to launch 4G in the Middle East.
“Despite challenging economic conditions, Omantel has contributed to raising 3G coverage to 96 per cent and 4G coverage to 86 per cent in populated areas. On a global scale, Omantel became the first GCC operator to land a submarine cable in Europe in the French city of Marseille. Spanning approximately 25,000 kilometres connecting close to half of the world’s population, the AAE-1 submarine cable is also one of the first unique cable systems to connect Hong Kong to Singapore, and Europe, all via Oman. The AAE-1 cable represents a key milestone in Omantel’s vision to become a truly global telecommunications player”.
“The coming months will witness completing significant new cable system namely ‘Gulf to Africa’ that will connect Oman to Africa (Somalia and Ethiopia) which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Once completed, this system will radically change the availability of ample capacity for content, cloud and connectivity services in the highly underserved East Africa region,” Al Maamari added.
As part of its “Carrier of Carriers” strategy, Omantel is also deploying a new cable system, the ‘Silk Route Gateway’, through Pakistan that is being extended all the way to China. By connecting the Silk Route Gateway to Oman, Omantel will be able to offer superior services and connectivity between Oman and China; whilst improving bilateral trade relations between both countries.
Today, the Sultanate is among the top 20 countries with the fastest 4G networks in the world, and the second in the Arab world according to a report by Open Signal (https://opensignal.com/reports/2016/11/state-of-lte).Omantel is the only operator in the Sultanate that offers triple play services via fibre optics. These services enable users to experience high speed Internet, including home Internet services at speeds of up to 200 mbps. “This is a direct result of our hard work and our long-standing commitment to develop world-class telecommunications infrastructure within the Sultanate,” Al Maamari concluded.
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