Oman opens up its telecom market

Muscat: The CEO of one of the beneficiaries of the Omani Telecommunications Regulatory Authority's decision to open up the telecom market has welcomed the move, saying it will be good for the market.

"Oman has taken a bold decision to become the first country in the region to allow more players into the telecom sector," said Niklas Nielsen, CEO of Renna, one of two resellers that have reached an agreement with state-owned OmanMobile.

The second reseller is FRiENDi Mobile.

Under the terms of the agreements, both Renna and FRiENDi Mobile will use OmanMobile's network infrastructure. Renna and FRiENDi Mobile will resell branded mobile services to customers across the country.

The resellers will be able to develop and offer their own services and manage all aspects of relations with their customers, including customer care, billing and after sales support.

"This move will increase the penetration level in the country," Dr Amer Al Rawas, managing director of OmanMobile, said after the agreement was signed.

He added that the entry of resellers into the mobile phone sector would give customers in Oman more choice and a wider range of value-added services.