The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has mandated state-run Omantel to take up a pilot project in the remote Batinah region for rolling out telecom services as part of the Universal Service Obligation (USO).
TRA has asked Omantel to fulfil the obligation after it found there were no investors ready to take up the job. The government, through USO, offers licences for basic telecom services and Internet access in the remote areas of the sultanate.
TRA member Eng Nashiah Saud al Kharusi told Muscat Daily the difficult terrain of the Batinah region with wadis and mountains, makes connectivity a challenge which the government hopes to overcome.
The idea was mooted sometime in 2007 and the government invited both local and foreign investors to take up the project on a pilot basis with the promise that the government would subsidise the investments heavily.
"Investors shied away from the project. While one of the local service operator was not keen on it, the other had, maybe other things to work on. Now, we have reached such a state where we have to enforce the incumbent (Omantel) to take up the USO project as we have been noticing a growing interest from the public for broadband. We are now about to enforce on the incumbent to take the project up as per the law," Kharusi said.
When asked what sort of investments it would entail, she said that investments would depend upon what technology would be used - whether fixed broadband or mobile. "We have a confidentiality clause under which we will not be able to talk about the investments," she said.
Omantel chief executive Dr Amer al Rawas confirmed the development and said that Omantel was looking forward to taking up the project. "We are awaiting the formal mandate. We have been selected to carry it out. We need to see the details of the mandate and hope to implement it as soon as possible. It will be a very challenging project for us, given the topography and the small pockets of population in the Batinah region."
Dr Rawas added that TRA would fix a timeframe for the job and investments will depend on whether fixed-line technology or mobile technology is adopted for the purpose. He said that while mobile technology would be expensive, it will require lesser time than fixed line, for which a lot of civil work has to be carried out.
Currently, voice services are provided to 97 per cent of the populated locations of Oman, while data services reach about half the sultanate's physical area.
© Muscat Daily 2011
