The 5G network launched by Omantel—the first integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate—was greatly welcomed by the telecommunications market.

By launching this technology, Omantel aspires to enter into a new era in the world of telecommunications and information technology. Subscribers in various parts of Muscat, Al Batinah North and Al-Batinah South can now get massive speeds up to 1Gbps.

Commenting on the launch of the service, Omantel CEO Talal Said Al-Mamari expressed his happiness for the good turnout the first 5G network has witnessed in the Sultanate. He further noted that the provision of the commercial 5G service for home customers comes as part of Omantel’s pioneering and vital role in supporting digital transformation in the Sultanate.

“The 5G network for home-based internet subscribers is the first step in our march towards achieving the maximum benefit from this technology which the world is expanding its uses. It is expected that the new technology will bring about radical changes to our lifestyles and business patterns. Therefore, this network will become an integral part of Omantel’s integrated system. The 5G was basically designed to meet the demands of the 4^th industrial revolution and will serve as a platform for the provision of greater and unprecedented services in such sectors as education, healthcare, transportation, and entertainment. This is in addition to the new technologies which are necessary for the establishment of important projects such as smart cities and e-government. These new technologies include, among other things, Internet of Things (IOT), remote monitoring of industrial systems, campus area network (CAN), and many more,” Al-Mamari added.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has announced its approval of Omantel’s roadmap aimed at launching the 5G service which it aspires to provide to 2,226 locations in the Sultanate by 2024. The service will be made available in accordance with the requirements of commercial use and technological development of the network.

Haitham Abdullah Al Kharusi, Vice President of Omantel’s Consumer Business Unit, said,   “Our valued customers across Muscat, Al Batinah North and Al Batinah South can now leverage massive speeds offered by the 5G network and its tremendous potentials to improve their customer experience. We will continue to work towards connecting the network to more areas in our pursuit to enrich more of our customers’ experience with 5G.”

Al Kharusi added that Omantel is keen on offering the 5G home internet services at affordable prices to all citizens. The 250GB will cost RO25 per month. Omantel’s customers wishing to enjoy gaming and entertainment can subscribe to “5G Gaming” or “5G Entertainment” that offer 500 GB and 1TB respectively.

“Out of our desire to enrich our customers’ experience with the 5G technology, Omantel will provide 5G home internet customers with free-of-charge data with a capacity of 1TB to be valid for three months,” Al Kharusi said.

The 5G network will contribute to achieving unprecedented successes across various sectors including education, healthcare, oil and gas, tourism, transportation, entertainment, etc. This is attributable to the massive speeds of this new technology and its close to zero latency, which enables the introduction of the 4^th industrial revolution technologies such as virtual reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. Still under development, the achieving of the maximum benefit of this new technology may take a longer time.

Omantel adopts a long-term vision that aims at actively contributing to building the future of the Sultanate via investing in the ICT sector in order to deliver its services to the entire parts of the Sultanate and connect them locally and globally. Omantel is the pioneering telecommunications company in the Sultanate and the primary provider of integrated internet services for individuals, companies and government agencies. The company strives to promote growth and prosperity in all sectors of the Sultanate, along with providing a new concept of businesses and bringing in the global content and means of entertainment.