'Omantel's ICT division expected to grow 600 per cent'

Muscat: Omantel’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) business is expected to register more than 600 per cent growth in 2017 in terms of revenue, market share and operations, building on its 150 per cent growth last year, an official from Omantel said.
Last year, the company launched Omantel 3.0, an end-to-end service provider that includes telecom, cloud computing, hardware and software for an enhanced user experience. It focuses on fully connecting businesses and devices to speak to the network, developing smarter systems to save resources and improve efficiency.
“Things are now moving at breakneck speeds. This is the world of ICT. It’s not limited to Silicon Valley or other places in the world. It is here. We start with advisory services, consulting, helping skill sets, integrating technology but that’s not where we stop. Omantel 3.0 is a fully ICT enabled solution. Before 2016, Omantel had some form of ICT projects. We had up to 400 clients. We hosted email exchange servers and their websites. In 2016, we achieved some impressive growth in terms of revenue and market share, increasing the number of our clients, and number of services we offered. We are expecting a 600 per cent growth. Companies don’t call Omantel for things like an email application issue now.
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“Things are becoming more comprehensive. It’s more to do with applications, security and Internet of Things (IoT) to help them deliver their own clients,” Fadi Nasser, head of ICT at Omantel said.
With more aspects of ICT ripe for use in Oman, more smart city initiatives could be on their way, Nasser believes. Smart city is something that can be environment-friendly, reduce energy consumption and time.
There are several examples around the world, where IoT was implemented and saved millions, Nasser added.
Nasser was referring to cities, such as Barcelona and San Francisco, where technologies like Smart metering and Building Management systems were set up and saved millions in operational costs. A smart building management system can control lighting, thermostat, security entry, etc.
Nasser also highlighted the potential ICT applications have for the tourism sector among other industries in the Sultanate.
“For tourism, we need to give an immersive digital experience to tourists who come to Oman. Their phone should alert them about the environment they have landed in. The network of their country of origin will be detected soon and the language can be changed. Depending on their interest it can point them towards the right places. Such an application can help in orderings taxis, hotel check-ins, etc. We are working with the Ministry of Tourism for such applications,” he added.
Nasser further said there are several other applications, such as smart transportation and parking, retail behaviour and warehousing that can help in saving resources.