MUSCAT: The Ministry of Transport, Communications, Information Technology (MTCIT) has signed an agreement with Indian multinational IT corporation Wipro for the operation of a Centre of Excellence in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in the Sultanate.
The agreement was signed by Dr Ali bin Amer al Shidhani, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology. Representing Wipro at the signing was Sanjeev Tayal, Regional Director – Middle East.
Also present were a number of officials from inside and outside Oman from the oil and gas, banking, telecommunications and information technology sectors.
Based on the operating agreement, the two parties will cooperate in several areas, the most important of which are: providing the right environment for the development of open source software-based technology solutions, sharing knowledge, studies and data on FOSS, as well as equipping the human competencies and expertise needed to contribute to the development of FOSS through training, guidance, technical support and exchange of experiences.
“Free and open source software (FOSS) has an important role to play in promoting the digital economy and development in modern technologies such as: artificial intelligence, cloud computing, Internet of Things and big data analysis.
“We look forward to operating the Centre of Excellence in collaboration with Wipro to accelerate the adoption of this software locally across startups and SMEs and thus support the marketing of Oman as a regional hub for providing innovative open source software services,” said Dr Al Shidhani.
Sanjeev Tayal, Regional Director for the Middle East at Wipro, stressed the company’s role in enhancing the local value added in the ICT sector in Oman, where the FOSS centre is one of the company’s many initiatives in the region to transfer knowledge and technology to local competencies. The signing ceremony included a panel discussion entitled, ‘Empowering Oman Vision 2040 through the Empowerment of FOSS’, with the participation of speakers from the US and UK. The Center of Excellence for Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Oman is the first of its kind in the Middle East and aims to provide a sustainable model to support local value addition in Oman’s ICT sector by localising technology, promoting open innovation, adopting FOSS, providing technical support services, development, research and development and training. — ONA
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