Nawras has signed an agreement with China's Huawei to upgrade the sultanate's telecom service provider's network to 3G+ and launch its upcoming 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network.
The upgrade of sections of the Nawras network which are not yet 3G+ is due to begin in Amerat in August, with 30 per cent of the 2G network expected to be upgraded by the end of the year.
The 4G LTE technology, which was trialled on the Batinah coast, will provide even faster speeds as the company upgrades its network to prepare for higher customer numbers and increased demand.
The network upgrades will also help cater to current customer demands of increased capacity, shorter download times and better network performance, with the 4G network aimed at further increasing download speeds in the future.
Ross Cormack, CEO of Nawras, told Muscat Daily that the sale of 4G LTE devices, such as smartphones and dongles, will begin 'towards the end of the year' when the new network is launched.
"The initial earlier part of the rollout is the full upgrade to 3G+. That comes with increased building coverage and ground coverage and extra frequencies, that will mean faster speeds on a wider basis.
"LTE will come on top of this, so that will be the icing on the cake. We will be progressively upgrading the entire network to 3G+. About 30 per cent of our network will be upgraded by the end of the year. It is a huge task."
Cormack added that the introduction of 4G LTE by the end of 2012 will be according to market demand, which 'at the earliest will be in the greater Muscat area,' adding that other major cities in Oman will be covered 'as soon as possible.' All major cities will have LTE coverage by 2013.
© Muscat Daily 2012
