BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT, NOV 3
Omantel is targeting growing demand for international network capacity as cloud providers and telecoms carriers seek faster connections and more routes to keep data moving when cables fail.
The Omani telecoms operator said on Tuesday it was continuing to invest in subsea cables, land-based networks and data centres, with its wholesale joint venture with Kuwait’s Zain Group giving it access to customers across several markets. The company sees rising use of artificial intelligence and cloud services as an opportunity to sell more capacity to international carriers and technology companies.
“As Generative AI technology continues to scale globally, demand for high connectivity and resilient networks is accelerating,” Omantel Chief Executive Aladdin Baitfadhil said in a statement.
The company outlined its strategy at the Middle East Global Carrier Community Meeting in Muscat, which it hosted with the joint venture, Zain Omantel International. The conference brought together telecoms operators, cloud providers and digital infrastructure companies to discuss network capacity, reliability and investment.
Omantel said its infrastructure connects markets in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia and has attracted cloud and content providers to establish regional hubs in Oman.
Established in 2023, Zain Omantel International manages the international wholesale requirements of operations in eight countries that collectively serve more than 54 million customers. Its services include subsea connectivity, international internet access, roaming, voice and messaging, and data centres that can accommodate multiple network operators.
The joint venture gives Omantel and Zain a common platform for selling international services to carriers and other large customers. Its network was used in a remote robotic surgery between Kuwait and Brazil, the company said. The venture is also exploring ways to use blockchain and automation in international roaming.
For carriers and cloud providers, access to multiple routes allows traffic to be redirected if a subsea cable or a land link is disrupted. Shorter transmission delays also matter for applications that need to respond in real time. Those requirements shape how operators choose cable routes and where technology companies place computing capacity.
Baitfadhil said the joint venture would help Omantel expand its reach and give international carriers and cloud providers access to regional markets. He said international connectivity remained a priority within the operator’s broader strategy.
Omantel said the sixth edition of the conference in Muscat drew more than 1,000 delegates from 350 companies in over 60 countries. Discussions also covered energy and sustainability considerations for digital infrastructure, alongside digital sovereignty, which concerns how countries retain control over data and the systems that handle it.
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