MUSCAT, SEPT 27: Wholly government owned Space Communication Technologies Company (SCT) has signed a multi-year contract with Oman Broadband (OB) for the Universal Service Obligation project as part of the national initiative by Telecommunication Regularity Authority (TRA) to provide communications and Internet services to around 598 remote villages and residential areas in Oman, as SCT considered the government investment arm in the field of space technologies. The signing of the contract took place in the headquarters of Oman Broadband. Eng Salim al Alawi, Managing Director of SCT, signed the contract along with Eng Bader a Zeidi, acting CEO of OB.
SCT will be providing and running the full satellite communication infrastructure to cover the whole Sultanate of Oman, including Multiple government institutions that exceed 100 schools and health centres, while Oman Broadband will coordinate with the local fixed line Internet service providers in the Sultanate of Oman to accommodate the need of users in the designated areas as per the initiative
The infrastructure Satellite communication services provided by SCT with the Latest technologies using High Throughput Satellites (HTS) on Ka-Band. This will allow the users to benefit from the multiple online service and communications such as E-government services, online streaming services, online education tools, and so on.
“In order to keep pace with the fourth industrial revolution and its technological and educational requirements, the Sultanate is intending to provide telecommunications services to all including the rural areas, which pose a great challenge to telecommunication companies. Choosing Space Communication Technologies (SCT) to provide the infrastructure for this service throughout the Sultanate is a great honour for the company and it will help tremendously in the advancement of telecommunication services in these areas to the level that everyone aspires to, especially in the fields of education, health and government services’’, said Eng Salim al Alawi, Managing Director of SCT.
Eng Bader al Zeidi of Oman Broadband added: “The signing of this agreement is a great accomplishment that adds up to all the initial successful steps in the National Broadband Initiative of bridging the digital gap within the rural areas of the Sultanate. This sustainable partnership with Space Communication Technologies (SCT) will contribute towards achieving that objective through utilizing the latest satellite technologies using Ka-Band Spectrums. The technology was selected post conducting intensive research and studies with respect to align with the challenging terrains and population density of the benefited villages and individuals.
This partnership will enable Oman Broadband to provide the necessary broadband infrastructure for the beneficiaries of these areas in addition to coordinating with the local Internet Service Providers to build an operating model that is similar to the FTTH model based on open access network which gives the end user the opportunity to choose a service provider according to their preference’’.
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