After a year-long competition between engineering students at higher education organizations across the Sultanate, Omantel and Ericsson announced the top three winners of their ‘5G Use Cases’ initiative.

The ceremony, which took place at OCEC on the sidelines of COMEX 2019, was held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, with the presence of high-rank officials at the public and private sectors.

H.E. Al-Futaisi saluted Omantel and other public and private entities that actively support digital transformation in Oman, “The most interesting part of the ‘5G Use Cases’ competition is that it targets youth and engages them in Industry 4.0 that relies heavily on 5G technology.” he noted.

H.E. further stressed on the importance of 5G, saying that it has the potential to significantly develop the national economy by increasing productivity, in addition to supporting new lifestyles and work patterns.

Dr. Hamad Al Rawahi, Executive President of TRA, has praised the initiative, “Such competitions are truly useful in helping students to expand their horizons in technology and encouraging them to be part of the 5G development by brainstorming new ideas with a focus on local market needs.” He said. Adding that the initiative increases awareness on 5G and push towards more researches in this new technology.

Talal Al Mamari, CEO of Omantel, said “Investing in 5G is a cornerstone for Omantel as with this technology we prepare the ground for the rapid development of many services and digital solutions in the Sultanate. We strive to offer our customers the latest innovations, and have been successful in building our ecosystem achieving 5G readiness.”

“5G Use Case is one of the significant initiatives that we have carried out in the past two years, and it comes in line with our framework to engage the public in what we do. Additionally, we want to increase awareness on 5G before the commercial launch, as this technology is vital for smart cities, artificial intelligence, big data, self-driving vehicles and many more,” he added.

Dr. Abdullah Al Balushi, Country Manager of Ericsson Oman, said “Through ‘5G Use Case’ competition, we were able to engage students with industry 4.0 technologies, and their contributions revolved around smart cities, IoT, and other areas that support digital transformation. As an international company with long expertise in technology, we will work hand in hand with Omantel to train the top winners, and the first place winners will receive a one-week training at Ericsson’s Research & Development Centre in Stockholm.”

The winners

A ‘Drone’ project by Dhofar University students, Salim Al Mashani, Adnan Al Jahfali and Salim bin Ahmed, bagged the first place in the competition. The project is about a drone that can be used to collect information on affected areas during a crisis, making emergency response much faster and hence, eliminating the associated risks. The drone can also be used to carry out relief operations when infrastructure is badly hit or destroyed.

The second place was won by ‘Street Monitor’ project, for SQU students Mayadah Al Azri, Ghada Al Rasbi and Manar Al Sharji. The project revolves around monitoring traffic congestion by using artificial intelligence and directing drivers to alternative ways accordingly.

The third place was secured by SQU students for their ‘Garbage Level Indicator’, the students are Asim Al Mazroui, Mohammed Al Fori and Yousuf Al Mandhari. The project is about a system that manages waste disposal by cleaners, by directing them on which areas to go based on waste levels.