Omantel Website

Omantel grabs four in the International Workers Day

Sun, 12 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, has won four awards during the International Workers Day celebration held under the auspices of His Highness Syyid Taimur bin Asaad bin Tariq Al-Said, the Assistant Secretary General of The Research Council for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Education Theatre in Muscat on May 1. The event was organized by the Worker’s Magazine to honor active personalities in Trade Union action. The Organizing Committee allocated several awards to honor establishments and individuals that make outstanding contributions in TU action and community service in the Sultanate.

Four of these awards went to Omantel as its CEO Dr. Amer bin Awadh Al-Rawas won the Best CEO Award in Telecom Sector and Supporter of the Labor Development Process in the Sultanate. The Head of Omantel Trade Union Engineer Ahmed bin Said Al-Riyami grabbed the Best Trade Union award. Meanwhile, Dr. Ghalib bin Saif Al-Hosni, Vice CEO for Human Resources received the Best TU Action Supporting Establishment Award. Finally, the Best TU Man Award went to Al-Waleed bin Said Al-Kharousi, member of the administrative body of Omantel TU and Secretary of the General Federation of Oman Trade Union.

Commenting on this fresh achievement, Dr. Ghalib bin Saif Al-Hosni HR Vice President at Omantel, said, “We are proud of Omantel’s winning these four awards which reflect the efforts of the Company in cooperation with Omantel TU to realize the employees aspirations and live up to their expectations and provide a healthy, transparent and credible work environment that upholds work ethics and principles.”

Dr. Ghalib Al-Hosni added, “Omantel accords great attention to its human resources as they are behind the Company’s success. We are amongst the leading companies in the Sultanate, which gave priority to TU work, and provided the necessary environment for the formation of the first elected management from the company’s employees. Such management is independent from the executive management and takes its own decisions. We in the HR Department, take the necessary measures towards any issues that are referred to us from Omantel Trade Union.”

Dr. Al-Hosni added, “Omantel TU has played a key role in boosting the benefits provided to the company’s employees through its proposals and views. It is the neutral party that supports the demands of the employees in terms of the creation of the suitable work environment supported by incentives and benefits.”

Engineer Ahmed bin Said Al-Riyami, the head of Omantel Trade Union said, “This honor, which came on the International Workers Day, is recognition of our efforts and an incentive for us to exert more effort in order to improve Trade Union activities at Omantel in particular and in the entire Sultanate in general. I should note that Omantel TU has achieved a number of projects that reached the employees needs and aspirations through the cooperation and continuous interaction with the top management and the Board of Directors.”

Al-Riyami added that Omantel TU believes that the relationship between the employees and the management is complementary one and is based on mutual respect and appreciation. Each party believes in the good intentions of the other. Both parties deal with each other in a civilized manner based on constructive dialogue for the benefit of the employees and the company alike. The Union also stresses that there are two important pillars of its work, namely rights and duties. As the management is requested to adhere to the employees rights, all employees should perform their duties to the best manner.

It is worth noting that Omantel Trade Union works diligently to support all efforts that aim at the development of human resources and improve their skills. It is inspired by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s vision as he said, “We have always affirmed our continued attention to the development of human resources and we said that these resources take top priority in our plans and programmes as the human being is the cornerstone of every development structure and a pivotal component around which all types of development revolve as their ultimate goal is the happiness of the individual, providing him with a means of a decent living and guaranteeing his security and safety.”

Omantel Revenue Up By 3.1% To R.O 114.5 Million

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Oman Telecommunications Company S.A.O.G (Omantel), the Sultanate’s leading telecom company, has announced today its financial results showing an increase in the revenue by 3.1% to R.O 114.5 Million despite having a marginal decrease in the net profit by 2.5% to RO 29.1 million from RO 29.9 million in the corresponding period of 2012.

The marginal decline in the net profit is mainly attributed to the expansion of both 3.5G (2nd carrier) and 4G LTE network along with Fixed NGN network which put pressure on both operation & maintenance and depreciation expenses, increase in external administration expense amounting to RO 6.6 Mn on account of increased international retail minutes as well as expenses related to employee costs.

Omantel subscriber base witnessed a good growth both in the domestic and group levels. The Company’s total group customer base (including Worldcall subscribers) grew by 7% to 3.883 million as of 31st March 2013 compared to 3.627 million on the corresponding period of 2012. Omantel’s domestic subscriber base witnessed a remarkable growth of 9.7% as of 31st March 2012 reaching 2.956 million mainly contributed by its mobile business.

Omantel Mobile continued to lead the market with a significant growth in the Company’s mobile network’s market share to 58.6%, making Omantel Mobile again the fastest growing mobile operator in the Sultanate for the 10th quarter in a row.

The total operating expenses increased by 5.4% to RO 83.9 million compared to RO 79.6 million for the corresponding period of 2012. The major reasons for increase in operating expenses are mainly due to increase in external administration expense amounting to RO 6.6 Mn on account of increased international retail minutes. Despite such substantial increase in cost, Omantel has decided to absorb bulk of these costs without passing on to its valued subscribers.

Also, expenses related to employee cost, operation & maintenance and depreciation increased over the period. Expansion of both 3.5G (2nd carrier) and 4G LTE network along with Fixed NGN network put pressure on both O&M and depreciation expenses.

Commenting on these results, Omantel’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Amer Awadh Al Rawas said: “We are proud to see our Company making a good growth despite the challenging market conditions and increased competition in the domestic market”.

“As we are continuously working on providing our customers enhanced customer experience, Omantel made huge investments to expand the reach of its network and roll out the new state-of-the-art network and the second carrier on 3.5G network following the allocation of available spectrum by Telecom Regulatory Authority. These investments along with increased employee costs and increase in external administration costs have contributed to an increase in expenses by 5.4% therefore impacting the Company’s net profit which has marginally decreased by 2.5% compared to the first quarter of 2012” Al Rawas pointed out.

“We are glad to see the fruits of having a strategy and operating model that is customer-centric. In fact our domestic market share has been increasing year on year despite the intensive competition and the entry of second operator in the fixed line services. Our mobile subscriber base has grown by 10.1% year on year reaching 2.6 million subscribers as of 31st March 2013. I would like to thank our loyal customers, visionary Board, committed employees and supportive shareholders who have always been part and in support of Omantel’s journey to excellence” Al Rawas concluded.

Omantel and Oman Shipping Company invest in development of young Omani’s as new co-sponsors of Oman Sail Youth Programme

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Oman Sail Youth Programme’s efforts to engage more young Omanis in the sport of sailing will receive a major boost following the announcement of Omantel and Oman Shipping Company as new co-sponsors of the Youth Programme.

“It is an honour to welcome Omantel and Oman Shipping Company as proud new co-sponsors of our Youth Programme. They have seen how the power and incredible value of sport can contribute to the development of the Omani youth and their commitment will considerably boost our efforts,” said Oman Sail CEO, David Graham.

Launched in 2012 the Oman Sail Youth Programme is structured for all levels and interests with sail training offered through the competitive Oman Sail Race Club and the more social Oman Sail Youth Club at the sailing centres at Marina Bandar, Mussanah and The Wave Muscat.

At grassroots level 11 000 young Omanis aged between 8 and 18 years have already been introduced to sailing through community “try sailing” events and by 2020 the target is that an impressive total of 70,000 Omani children will have learnt to sail.

For those wanting to make sailing their sport there is a comprehensive “Pathway to Excellence” development programme in place to encourage progression from school and race clubs to the elite national racing squad that represents Oman at international events and world championships, the ultimate aim being to win a medal for the Sultanate in the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Youth Club already has 60 sailors at each centre sailing weekly where the accent is more on fun and enjoyment while the Race Club has 45 youngsters training three times a week at each sailing centre and competing at local inter club regattas. So far 14 of them have had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania, Bahrain and Egypt to participate at international regattas. In March, the Oman Sail National Youth Squad participated at the GCC Championships in Muscat and won a Gold medal in the Optimist Team Racing and a Bronze medal in the Optimist Fleet Racing.

Youngsters with talent and potential are identified according to their confidence in the water, ability to listen to and execute instructions and sheer enjoyment of the sport. Thereafter a strict selection process and the National Qualification System, launched by Oman Sail at the beginning of 2013, are used to establish a ranking classification for selecting teams to represent Oman internationally.

The long term pathway to the 2024 Olympics includes a team to finish in the top fifty percent of the fleet at the 2015 Optimist World Championships, in the top fifty percent of the fleet at the 2018 Youth Olympics and in the top 20 percent of the fleet at the 2020 ISAF Youth World Championships. Tarik Al Junaidi, Acting CEO of Oman Shipping Company, said the company was proud to align itself with efforts to introduce a new generation to a sport that promises to re-ignite the nation’s ancient seafaring traditions.

“We wholeheartedly support Oman Sail’s overall objective to promote national pride by succeeding on the world’s sporting stage and to promote elite Omani sailors as role models to inspire the youth of Oman. “We have seen the positive values associated with the sport of sailing and how it can be a fun and exciting way to reinforce strong family and social values while rekindling Oman’s famed maritime heritage.” Al Junaidi said sailing encouraged leadership, teamwork and communication skills. It instilled confidence and willingness to further goals, aims and ambitions but above all it required self discipline, integrity, honesty, sincerity, humility, courage and flexibility.

“In the shipping, and all industry, people with a strong work ethic and the ability to maintain a sense of humour under pressure are valuable. These are the qualities that our young sailors are learning and will keep with them for life.”

Dr. Amer Awadh Al Rawas, CEO of Omantel, said the company is proud to support Oman Sail’s Youth Programme as it is a direct way of investing in the future of the country’s youth.

“The power of sport and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are well documented. Involvement in sport can also help fight many health issues like obesity. There are also impressive statistics that women who participate in school sports are three times more likely to graduate and amazingly 95% of males and 80% of female Fortune 500 company executives played sport as youths.

“The Oman Sail Youth Programme has already influenced so many of our youth in such a positive way through the sport of sailing. We are dleighted to be part of it,” said Dr. Amer Awadh Al Rawas.”

Omantel offers free cinema tickets for world films at City Cinema Al Shatti

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, announced the launch of Youth Film Festival , which allows its customers to avail free tickets to the films in display at City Cinema Shatti via a simple SMS message and get a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 after each movie.

Commenting on the offer, Mohammed Hassan al Lawatia, Manager of Events at Omantel, said. "As a leading telecom provider in the Sultanate, Omantel is very keen to bring more smiles into the lives of its customers by meeting their needs and sharing with them their moments of joy. Youth forms an important segment of our family and the launch of this Festival comes within our efforts to offer our customers always added value on top of the exciting services the Company provides”.

As for the process of booking, Mohammed Al Lawatia said 'The first 180 subscribers will get free tickets by sending 'book' to 91220 at the cost of normal SMS charge of 10 Bzs only. A confirmation message will follow containing the name of the movie, date of show and ticket number which shall be produced at the ticket office for ticket collection.

Omantel customers can also book their favorite film through SMS therefore saving time and efforts spent in the long queues to get ticket through sale outlets or the Internet. In addition, they will also get a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Note II after each movie”.

The Youth Film Festival will run through every Wednesday for four weeks from April 24th till May 15th and will showcase top box offices movies at City Cinema Al Shatti at 5.30 pm. The first 180 subscribers will enjoy “The Amazing Spiderman” next Wednesday.

Omantel is the pioneer provider of leading edge telecommunications services in the Sultanate of Oman connecting individuals, enterprises and government across the country through a state-of-the-art network. By offering unmatched range of innovative products and after-sales service, Omantel is the market leader. We serve our customers nationwide through online channels, shops and distributors. Omantel is listed on the Muscat Stock Market and trades under the name OTL.OM. For more information, please visit our website www.omantel.om, meet us in one of our shops or call 1234.

Omantel launches International Credit Transfer service

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel , the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, launched a new service by which Hayyak customers can transfer credit to their family members and friends back home in more than 100 countries and 200 operators.

The new service comes within the constant efforts made by Omantel to add value to its customers and improve their experience with the different services provided by Omantel. Shadli Al Abdulsalam Senior Manager Product Development at Omantel Consumer Unit said ' The new services provides Hayyak customers with the opportunity to transfer credit instantly and securely to mobile numbers with more than 200 operators in 100 countries in different parts of the world”.

"Hayyak customers can transfer international credit starting from 500BZ to RO25 per month. The service will be free of charge and nothing will be deducted from the transferred credit as well, Al Abdulsalam added.

Hayyak customers can transfer credit to their family members and friends abroad by using the USSD code *404# and follow instructions. Moreover, customers can make the transfer also through SMS by sending an SMS message containing the beneficiaries mobile number together with the country code of the targeted country to (90020) and following the instructions.

For more information about the countries and the associated operators customers may visit the following link: www.omantel.om/ict

Omantel is the pioneer provider of leading edge telecommunications services in the Sultanate of Oman connecting individuals, enterprises and government across the country through a state-of-the-art network. By offering unmatched range of innovative products and after-sales service, Omantel is the market leader. We serve our customers nationwide through online channels, shops and distributors. Omantel is listed on the Muscat Stock Market and trades under the name OTL.OM. For more information, please visit our website www.omantel.om, meet us in one of our shops or call 1234.

Omantel offers free cinema tickets for world films at City Cinema Al Shatti

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel Enables Customers to Pre-order the New BlackBerry Q10 Smartphone

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, announced the launch of the pre-order campaign of the much-awaited “BlackBerry Q10” the latest addition from BlackBerry with 4G LTE support.

Commenting on this announcement, Saleh Mahmood Al Maimani Manager Core Services at Omantel Consumer Business Unit said “At Omantel, we focus on meeting the various needs of our valued customers and provide them not only with state-of-the-art communication services but also with the latest devices. We are delighted to announce the pre-order campaign of the much-awaited BalckBerry Q10 the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform.”

‘The new BlackBerry Q10 will be one of the many smartphones that work on Omantels state-of-the-art 4G network, which was introduced by Omantel as the first provider of 4G LTE in the Sultanate. Omantel is always keen not only to provide its customers with the best telecom services and the most innovative mobile devices to improve their experience’. He added.

Q10 Features

Blackberry Q10 powered by BlackBerry® 10 is built with precision offering premium performance in a timeless design with BlackBerry’s best physical keyboard and a touch screen to help communicate, collaborate faster and more efficiently. BlackBerry Keyboard the classic BlackBerry Keyboard has been re-engineered and elegantly designed to help typing faster, more accurately and with the least amount of effort. The BlackBerry Hub gathers all of the messages and notifications that you receive from your different accounts into one convenient location. In the BlackBerry Hub, you can receive and respond to email, text messages, or BBM chats all in the same place, see and respond to notifications from your social networking accounts, glance at your upcoming events, and more. You will have as well the BlackBerry Messenger BBM, which allows you to connect with anything you want within seconds.

The screen is 3.1 inches with dual core 1.5 GH and 2GB RAM. It is provided with 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with 1080p HD video recording. The front camera is 2 megapixel fixed-focus cameras.

The device will be available for online pre-ordering starting today through www.omantel.om/Q10 . The BlackBerry Q10 is expected to arrive very soon and Omantel customers will get the opportunity to be first to own this amazing smartphone.

Omantel customers can easily pre-order the device by simply visiting the Omantel Website www.omantel.om/Q10 and follow a few simple steps.. No upfront charges are required for pre-ordering.

Customers will be automatically notified via SMS when the device arrives to collect it. This exclusive offer is available only to Omantel customers. However, customers with other operators can benefit from this offer by porting in their numbers to Omantel and pre-order the device online accordingly.

Omantel is the pioneer provider of integrated telecommunications services in the Sultanate and has successfully connected individuals and corporate subscribers in different regions of the Sultanate through a modern fixed, mobile and internet network.

Omantel Enables Customers To Pre-order The Much Awaited Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate, announced the launch of the pre-order campaign for the all new and most anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone enabling the Company’s customers to be one of the first to own the device and choose from Galaxy S4 3G version or premium Galaxy S4 LTE version.

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 has been designed to be a life companion. Each feature is meant to make daily life simpler, richer and more fun.

Galaxy S4 Airview feature enables users to preview and scroll through email, control private photo gallery, music, or video clips and navigate the internet hovering with fingers above the screen without the need to touch it.

Moreover, Galaxy S4 employs two new features namely the smart pause and smart scroll, the front-tracing camera for eye tracking. A video can be paused by looking away from the screen, a page can be scrolled by tilting the screen up or down while looking at it up or down, right or left.

The design of the Samsung GALAXY S4 defies what’s possible. The incredibly-wide FULL HD Super AMOLED screen fits perfectly within an extraordinarily slim bezel that’s encased in a special polycarbonate body, making this the lightest and most sophisticated GALAXY yet. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone has a 13 megapixel rear camera with a dual shot feature that enables both the rear and front camera to take simultaneous pictures and video clips and blend the pictures together.

Commenting on this announcement, Saleh bin Mahmoud Al-Maimani Manager Core Services at Omantel Consumer Unit said, “We are delighted to offer our customers the possibility to pre-order the most anticipated Samsung smartphone. This reflects Omantel’s commitment to provide our customers not only with state-of-the-art communication services but also with the latest and most innovative devices”.

Al-Maimani added, “Customers can choose to pre-order either the Samsung Galaxy S4 3G version which will be available during from the first day of launch or a premium Galaxy S4 4G LTE version which will support both 3G and 4G network,s which will be available within weeks from the official launch.”

The Samsung Galaxy S4 4G LTE will be one of the many smartphones that work on Omantels 4G network, which was introduced by Omantel as the first provider of 4G LTE in the Sultanate. Omantel is always keen not only to provide its customers with the best telecom services and solutions, but also the best devices that make their experience much better.

Both smartphones will be available for online pre-ordering starting today through www.omantel.om/S4 . The GALAXY S4 is expected to arrive very soon and Omantel customers will get the opportunity to be the first to own this amazing smartphone.

Omantel customers can easily pre-order the device by simply visiting the Omantel Website www.omantel.om/S4 and follow a few simple steps. No upfront payment is required for pre-ordering.

Customers will be automatically notified via SMS when the device arrives to collect it. This exclusive offer is available only to Omantel customers. However, customers with other operators can benefit from this offer by porting in their numbers to Omantel and pre-order the device online accordingly.

Omantel is the leading provider of broadband services in the Sultanate of Oman connecting individuals and corporate customers in different regions through advanced fixed, mobile and Internet network. By offering innovative products and unmatched after-sales service, Omantel has the largest customer base in the Sultanate with more than 2.95 million customers. Omantel has been recently selected as the winner of the “Platinum Award for Quality and Best Trade Name” by European “OtherWays” Association for the quality of its network and efforts made to improve the customer experience.

Omantel Business Announces New ADSL Promotion for Corporate Customers

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in the Sultanate, announced a new ADSL offer for corporate customers aiming at enabling the Sultanate’s businesses to avail from the ADSL service not only with high speeds and quality but also at very attractive promotional rates in addition to lots of exciting add-ons.

Commenting on the launch of the new offer, Engineer Ahmed al Ojaily, Connectivity Solutions Manager at Omantel said “We care about the needs of our customers and strive to provide them with services that meet their demands. We are launching this offer to provide Oman’s corporates and enterprises with the opportunity to benefit from fixed broadband service that offer speeds up to 34 Mbps while availing the unmatched benefits this offer provides such as free one month subscription on any Business ADSL package and Static IP and free Installation of both ADSL and Static IP service for new ADSL subscribers.

Al-Ojaily added “Our existing ADSL corporate customers are also covered by this new offer as they can upgrade their current broadband package to the higher one and they will still be charged a monthly rental fee at the cost of the lower package for three months.

Omantel Business Unit provides 11 different ADSL packages with speeds starting from 2 Mbps up to 24 Mbps therefore meeting the different needs of our corporate customers and embodying our strategy of “Something for Everyone”.

Omantel Business is the dedicated Unit providing advanced tailored solutions to meet the needs of corporate and government customers. Our solutions include a full suite of telecom and hosting services, to connect your business to your customers and partners globally as well as locally. The solutions leverage a state of the art networks and systems. Omantel’s MPLS service has received an ISO certification. Omantel serves the corporate customers through a team of specialized Account Managers. For more information please visit www.omantel.om, or send an email tobusiness@omantel.com or call 24242888.

Omantel, MoM Launch On-job Training Programme for General Diploma Graduates

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower, Omantel- the pioneer integrated telecom services provider in the Sultanate - has launched a training programme to qualify 30 general diploma graduates on the rolling out of fixed line networks. The programme aims at qualifying, developing and polishing the skills of Omani workforce and prepares them for the workplace.

An agreement to this effect and to provide on-the-job training for the national workforce was signed between Omantel and the Ministry of Manpower last month. It is also part of the Ministry efforts to increase Omanization and train fresh Omani graduates.

Commenting on the launch of the training programme, Saud Mansour Al-Mazruie General Manager Organization Planning at Omantel Human Resources Unit said, “Omantel’s partnership with the Ministry of Manpower in the implementation of this training programme comes within the framework of the Company’s efforts and its commitment towards the development the national workforce that constitutes the main pillar in building the country and achieving the aspirations of its people. The Company has earlier launched several initiatives to provide training on telecommunications focusing on graduates of higher education institutes in order to enhance their capabilities through practical training.” He noted that the objective of this programme is to create trained national workforce that can keep pace with the accelerating changes in the telecom sector.” Mr. Al-Mazruie added, “Omantel is committed to provide telecom training for Omanis in order to build their capacities in this very important sector. We are delighted to be a permanent partner in the Ministry of Manpower Omanization efforts which aim at the creation of a pool of professionals in the telecom sector and prepare them for the labour market.”

The General Manager for Human Resources Planning at Omantel said, “This group of 30 trainees has already started a comprehensive training programme at Oman Telecom Institute. The programme, which is delivered by a group of professional trainers with vast experience in the telecom sector, includes lectures, theoretical and practical workshops on the basic administrative and skills that are required for work in the telecom sector Moreover, in order to motivate the participaits, Omantel pays a monthly stipend for each trainee during the training period in the Company.”

The training period, which will run for a full year, was divided into two stages, the first of which will continue for three months and will include training courses in communication skills, time management, customer service, team work, introduction to computer and software. It also includes technical courses on electricity, electronics, telecommunications, information and external networks. The second 9-month stage will focus on field training in order to help the trainees gain the necessary experience in the telecom field. Trainers and technicians will evaluate their performance during this stage.

It is worth noting that Oman Telecom Institute- the training arm of Omantel- is the first of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman. The institute objective is to provide a trained workforce to operate, maintain and develop the Sultanate’s telecom network. The Institute is fully equipped and capable of organizing more than 200 specialized courses throughout the year.