Omantel gears up for market competition

Muscat: A top executive of Omantel believes that the telecommunications sector in Oman is about to enter a new era in which the company is ready to play its role in the competitive market.

Until now, Omantel has been the sole fixed landline service provider in the country; however, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has awarded a licence to Nawras, which is expected to launch fixed landline and broadband internet services in the country this year.

Bracing for competition, Omantel has already made concessions to its broadband tariff, especially to the corporate sector.

"The lease lines for the corporate sector keep the economy buzzing and we have rebranded 38 services for them," said Dr Amer Al Rawas, Omantel CEO, at a media briefing yesterday at the Grand Hyatt Muscat.

In reply to a question, he hinted at concessions for individual consumers in the coming months.

He also revealed that the company would now embark on a phased plan to rebrand its business and operations.

"This will start with the launch of an integrated Omantel website for fixed, mobile and internet in the coming few days, re-branding of our buildings in the coming few months and subsequently a revamp of our stores."