Omantel enters $400 million agreement to boost telecom efficiency

Oman Telecommunications (Omantel) and Middle East and North Africa of Egypt have entered into an agreement to land a submarine fiber optics cable on the Omani coast to enhance telecommunications traffic between the Sultanate of Oman and the rest of the world.

At a total cost of $400 million, Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi, CEO of Omantel, pointed out that the MENA Cable Project would provide great services for international telecommunications traffic. Fiber optics would benefit Internet connectivity in case of cable cutoffs, provide alternative lines for international telecommunication networks and offer upgradeable transmission facilities.

The 8000-kilometer long cable, which will provide a total capacity of 5.7 terabits, is expected to arrive at Wilayat Al Seeb, where Omantel Submarine Cables Center is located, during the third quarter of 2009.

Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi mentioned that the MENA Cable Project will benefit the telecommunication sector as a whole, as the cables will pass through other countries besides Oman, including Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India.

Omantel is the sole integrated telecommunications services provider in Oman and has recently jointed 15 international telecommunication companies in signing the Europe-India Gateway project. Estimated to cost $700 million, the project will see the building of an international broadband fiber optics submarine cable extending from the United Kingdom to India.