Muscat: Connected Futures forum brought together senior representatives from energy, transport and logistics, infrastructure and public safety, alongside global technology specialists Airbus, Celona and RugGear, at its Connected Futures forum to explore how advanced connectivity can support Oman’s key economic sectors.
Held under the auspices of Dr Ali al Shidhani, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for ICT, the forum examined private 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and mission-critical communications, drawing on international experience and the operational requirements of Oman’s industries.
As digital adoption advances, businesses are increasingly focused on how technology can improve their operations. In sectors where safety, operational continuity and coordination are critical, connecting more field activities, assets, applications and operational systems is placing greater demands on communications networks.
Connected Futures explored these evolving requirements, highlighting how connectivity is becoming integral to safety, control and real-time decision-making. Network design increasingly forms part of the wider operational architecture, supporting the secure and reliable flow of information between people, assets and control systems.
Eng Bader al Zidi, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Oman, said: “The value of advanced connectivity will increasingly be seen in what it enables across the sectors that drive growth and diversification, from greater productivity and resilience to stronger competitiveness. For the telecommunications sector, that means our contribution cannot be measured only by the networks we build, but by how effectively those networks enable the wider economy.”
Al Zidi added: “There is an opportunity for Oman to benefit from a global learning curve that is already well advanced. International experience can show what has worked, what has not, and where the real value has emerged, but it has to be considered alongside the knowledge of our own industries. Bringing those two together gives Oman a stronger basis for accelerating adoption in a way that is relevant to its priorities and operating realities.”
International case studies presented at the forum demonstrated how critical industries are adopting advanced communications to meet increasingly complex operational needs.
Airbus highlighted deployments with CEPSA in Spain, Tirana International Airport in Albania and Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands, where broadband critical communications are being introduced across energy, aviation and transport operations.
Celona shared experience from private 5G deployments at oil, gas and petrochemical sites in the United States. RugGear presented applications in public safety and industrial environments, including the transition of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence from legacy narrowband systems to broadband mission-critical communications.
These examples reflected many of the demands facing Oman’s oil and gas concessions, ports, logistics networks and public safety operations: geographically dispersed assets, mobile workforces, safety-critical activities and growing reliance on real-time information. Meeting these needs requires communications that securely and consistently connect personnel, field operations and control environments.
Connected Futures builds on Vodafone Oman’s enterprise strategy to bring Vodafone Group’s scale and international experience closer to the needs of businesses in the Sultanate of Oman. As its enterprise business expands beyond core connectivity, the company is broadening the capabilities it offers Oman’s industries, supporting their digital transformation and reinforcing its ambition to play a key role in the country’s digital economy.
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