Omantel welcomes TRA move to open competition for re-sale of basic mobile communication services

This is part of the TRA efforts to boost the telecom sector in the Sultanate and support and develop services provided by mobile phone operators to subscribers.

The Chief Executive Officer of Omantel Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi said that this step would without doubt expand communications services in the Sultanate, adding that it will contribute to the efforts exerted by mobile phone operators in serving subscribers and in providing additional qualitative services to mobile phone users. This will help in the dissemination of communications services throughout the country, thus keeping pace with the population growth and economic development, let alone the vast geographic area of the Sultanate which requires more services to cover the largest part of this vast area.

Dr. Al-Wohaibi added that Omantel is fully aware of the higher objectives of this step and its role in the provision of communications services to the largest possible number of residents and expatriates as well. This step will reflect positively on all walks of life in view of the fact that telecom services have become a necessity for all people all the time everywhere.

The Omantel Chief Executive Officer stressed the fact that communication services have become a basic need. Therefore, Omantel has been seeking to cover all the Sultanate provinces (wilayats) and regions with telecom services by all possible technological means taking into account that they constitute an important factor in the development process.

Dr. Al-Wohaibi indicated that this new step is related to re-sale of basic public mobile telecommunications services by purchasing the transmission minutes from the public mobile operators in the Sultanate at wholesale rates, without owning or operating its private network. The licensee will in turn re-sell the minutes to beneficiaries at retail rates fixed by it through pre-paid cards bearing its own brand.

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has recently announced opening the door for competition to provide the re-sale of basic mobile communications services in the Sultanate.