Telecoms & IT
From The Report: Oman 2014
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The sultanate boasts high mobile penetration, widening 4G LTE coverage in key urban areas and a growing fixed-line market. Auctions are under way for spectrum to support service expansion, and the regulator is considering a new framework for competition. Meanwhile, private investments should help expand network coverage and provide more secure services.
This chapter contains a roundtable with Greg Young, CEO, Nawras; Gürkan Öztürk, CEO, Samatel; Talal Said Marhoo, CFO, Omantel; and Martin Glud, CEO, FRiENDi Oman.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Hold the phone: Strong growth should support continued expansion of coverage and possibly further entrants
OBG
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It was in the early 1970s that Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said began modernising the telecommunications industry by establishing regulatory bodies and encouraging investment in infrastructure and services. Oman’s telecommunications has come far since then – today, the sultanate boasts high mobile penetration, expanding 4G long-term evolution (LTE) coverage across key metropolitan areas, and a growing fixed-line market. While the sultanate’s challenging terrain and low population density pose…

Interview

OBG talks to Greg Young, CEO, Nawras; Gürkan Öztürk, CEO, Samatel; Talal Said Marhoon Al Mamari, CFO, Omantel; and Martin Glud, CEO, FRiENDi Oman
OBG
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Interview:Greg Young,Gürkan Öztürk,Talal Said Marhoon Al Mamari,Martin Glud How is growing competition within the telecoms sector encouraging technological innovations and economic prosperity? GREG YOUNG: Increased competition drives innovation and prosperity by encouraging the development of infrastructure, which in turn ensures availability of the latest in telecommunications services. This is key to attracting major companies and investors. Further to this, competition…

Analysis

Next generation: Investments in infrastructure to make use of new spectrum for LTE services
OBG
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As Oman’s residents increasingly embrace the latest in wireless technologies, the advent of 4G long-term evolution (LTE) technologies in the sultanate has the potential to make a significant impact on the mobile market. Although the sultanate was relatively late in rolling out 3G services, the precursor to 4G LTE, operators in Oman have been quick to launch the latest in 4G LTE technologies at urban centres, with nationwide coverage progressing steadily. From 2G To 4G Challenges persist – infrastructure…

Overview

On the move: Mobile internet dominates services, but infrastructure upgrades promise to raise penetration across the board
OBG
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When economic restructuring began in Oman in the 1970s, the telecoms sector was under-developed, with less than 600 telephone lines and little in terms of fixed infrastructure. It was in 1980 that the telecommunications industry began to take off, with the formation of the General Telecommunications Organisation, which had a mandate to push telecommunications development across the sultanate’s more than 300,000 sq km of mountainous terrain. Despite its relatively delayed start to nationwide development,…