Omantel Website

Omantel launches scintillating offers for 2012 Muscat Festival

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Being a main sponsor, Omantel kick starts its activities at the 2012 Muscat Festival today with the opening of its two pavilions at Qurum Natural Park and Al-Naseem Garden. It also sponsors the third edition Tour of Oman cycling race. The events of this year’s Muscat Festival will start today and go on till February 23.

The company’s pavilions will start receiving its visitors and introduce to them its exciting offers for this year’s festival.

Omantel staff will be at hand to interact with tourists who will flock to Muscat during this time of the year tomenjoy the many enjoyable programs and activities.

Festival’s preparations

Commenting on the launch of these new offers, VP of Consumer Unit at Omantel, Mr. Haitham Al-Kharusi said, ”Omantel is always keen to participate in Muscat Festival because it is one of the most important events not only in the Sultanate but also at the Gulf and regional levels. It attracts large numbers of Arab and foreign tourists annually.” He added that the festival is like a gathering for the exchange of cultures and civilizations of the participating countries, noting that Omantel is keen to interact with its customers and festival visitors from the Sultanate and from abroad.

Haitham Al Kharusi indicated that the company has taken all the necessary technical measures to receive Muscat Festival’s visitors. It has boosted the coverage and capacity of the telecommunications network, especially mobile coverage through the addition of fixed and mobile backup stations in order to cater for the tourist flow to Muscat during the period of the Festival.”

Mr. Kharusi added, “In order to better interact with our customers, Omantel has established a special pavilion at Qurum Natural Park and another one at Al-Naseem Garden. And to make life easy for customers, the company has decided to introduce all the festival offers in all the company’s outlets all over the Sultanate.” He also said that the company’s pavilions shall introduce Omantel's new brand which was launched following the completion of the full integration between Omantel and Oman Mobile. The company’s pavilions were designed in an innovative way to include sections for all services provided by the company. The pavilions have a new look to reflect our vision to be "TOGETHER” with our subscribers. Moreover, Omantel customers and the festival’s visitors will have the opportunity to try and experience the various services displayed at the festival.

Best offers

Mr. Haitham Al-Kharusi unveiled the most scintillating offers to be introduced at the Festival. He said, “We, at Omantel, believe that the requirements and uses differ from one subscriber to another. Therefore, when we design our packages and offers, we are always keen to guarantee that the largest possible segment of subscribers would benefit from these offers. This is the heart of our vision which says: something for everyone.” This year’s festival is unique with great offers for Smartphone users. When a subscriber buys any of our Android Smartphones: Honor, Ideos X5 or Ideos, he would enjoy 200 minutes of free calls, 100 SMS messages and 500 MB of mobile broadband monthly for six months. Meanwhile, upon buying our all new Android Tablet Mediapad, the customers would get a free Hayyak starter kit in addition to 1 GB of free mobile broadband monthly for six months. We also have a special offer for Blackberry Smartphones buyers offering them One year FREE Subscription for BlackBerry Lite plan. In addition, we have a new Hayyak top up offer, which gives customers up to 200 free SMS messages.

Omantel is the leading provider of integrated telecommunications services for individuals and corporate subscribers in the Sultanate. It has successfully connected various parts of the Sultanate to each other and with the rest of world through an advanced network of mobile, fixed telecommunications services as well as the Internet.

Omantel introduces Nokia’s stunning Nokia N9 in white

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel and Nokia today announced an exclusive offer for customers buying the newly-launched Nokia N9 64 GB white handset – Nokia’s latest offering in the smartphone category. The Omantel offer will provide cutomers buying the white Nokia N9 smartphone with 1 GB data usage per month for a consecutive period of three months.

In addition, those purchasing the Nokia N9 can also experience the new NFC (Near Field Communication) technology and avail of its free data with a simple tap at select Omantel and Belltel shops.

The Nokia N9 smartphone is built for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design combined with the latest smartphone technology. In addition to the white model, the Nokia N9 also comes in cyan, magenta and black with full Arabic support.

Commenting on launching this unique smartphone, Saleem Abdulatiff, General Manager Marketing at Omantel’s Consumer Business Unit said “We are delighted to be bringing one of the best Nokia smartphones to our valued customers in the Sultanate. In addition to its unparalled features, the Nokia N9 from Omantel comes with free 1GB of internet usage per month for three months.”

Vithesh Reddy, General Manager, Nokia Lower Gulf, said, “The partnership with Omantel is an example of Nokia’s strong regional relationships with the industry’s key players. In-line with our commitment to deliver the best value to our loyal customers, Nokia has been working closely with Omantel to ensure that customers are getting real value-added experiences.”

“The Nokia N9 has a number of unique features and the introduction of the white model is perfectly suited for this market’s style-conscious consumers who demand best-in class products and consider their Nokia smartphone to be an expression of their individuality and an extension of their personal style,” added Reddy.

The Nokia N9: One swipe and you’re home

The Nokia N9 introduces an innovative new design where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: a swipe. Whenever you’re in an application, swiping from the edge of the display takes you home.

The three home views of the user interface are designed to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone: using apps, staying up to date with notifications and social networks, and switching between activities.

Camera, maps and multimedia

The 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, wide-angle lens, HD-quality video capture and large lens aperture enable great camera performance even in lowlighting conditions. This makes the Nokia N9 one of the best camera-phones ever produced.

The Nokia N9 features free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps. With the new dedicated Drive app, you can get in your car and start navigating to your destination right away.

Near Field communication (NFC)

Fitted with the latest in wireless technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), the Nokia N9 allows the user to easily share images and videos between devices by touching them together. Paired with cool Bluetooth accessories like the new NFC-enabled Nokia wireless speaker for great surround music, guarantees an optimal experience. In addition, the N9 packs the latest camera with a powerful 8 megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, wide angle lens, HD quality video capture and large lens aperture to enable optimal capture of precious, fleeting moments.

Omantel and Oman Mobile are now one

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel is pleased to introduce a fresh new identity with the launch of a new unified brand. The brand communicates a bold, fresh vision for the company's continued evolution, building on our 40 year history of serving the Sultanate of Oman.

“Our new brand is more than an enhanced logo and represents an exciting opportunity to show our customers what we stand for and what makes us different as a provider of fixed, mobile and Internet services for consumers, said VP - Consumer Unit Haitham Al Kharusi. We wanted to capture the authentic and unique Omantel experience that brings our loyal customer base back again and again, and present it in a new way, and we plan to continue to run Omantel the way we always have -- continuing to do what we believe is best for our brand, our culture, and our business. ” Haitham Al Kharusi added.

Omantel’s main brands will be united under a common identity, and Oman Mobile will be represented as an Omantel Mobile word mark. The logo, which represents an important part of Omantel’s heritage will be retained and used for all official communications. All our solutions will be readily available in our 59 retail stores and our extensive network of more than 200 dealer locations throughout the Sultanate. Our customers can rest assured of continued service at all times.

“This is the next step of our journey. Our customers will get tangible benefits from being part of a leading telecommunication company, providing leading-edge services, technology and providing something for everyone, while understanding the local customers’ needs and conditions better than anyone else” continued Haitham Al Kharusi.

Omantel takes this opportunity to leverage both companies’ strengths and join together as one so that we may move even faster towards our long term vision as well as do what’s in the best interest of our customers, existing shareholders and investors. For Omantel, our vision remains the same: To innovate and build a totally connected community - together.

ITA continues to distribute laptops to beneficiaries of 2nd phase of National PC Initiative

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) recently signed a partnership agreement to implement the National PC Initiative where Omantel will be the Telecommunications Partner. This agreement constitutes a positive contribution from the private sector to support the initiative and encourage the beneficiaries from social insurance families and teachers who have already graduated from the Government IT Training and Certification (GITTC) Project as well as higher education students (First Year).

The agreement was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Information Technology Authority Dr. Salem bin Sultan Al-Ruzaiqi on behalf of ITA and the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Telecommunications Company on behalf of Omantel.

Free Laptop and Internet The National PC Initiative provides a free laptop to each social insurance family with one or more students enrolled at school.

Laptops are also granted free of charge to higher education students of these families. Moreover, ITA shall bear part of the cost of the laptop given to higher education students (first year) and teachers who have graduated from GITTC project.

Meanwhile, Omantel’s offer to the social welfare families and students who are covered by the National PC Initiative, through which the company joins ITA as the Telecommunications Partner, will continue in the Second Phase. Beneficiaries of social welfare segment (families and students) would choose from two offers from Omantel for Home Broadband ADSL or the mobile broadband.

The Mobile Broadband Offer through Omantel’s 3.5 G network provides the beneficiaries with free SIM Card, free activation of the service, free mobile modem and exemption from monthly subscription fees for the first 12 months with free one GB of mobile broadband usage.

Meanwhile, the ADSL offer provides the beneficiaries with free activation of fixed line and ADSL service connection besides free wireless modem as well as the exemption from monthly subscription fees for the first 12 months, with 1 GB of free usage.

The second internet bundle is for teachers and higher education students. Beneficiaries can choose from the residential ADSL internet at a speed of 2Mbps and the exemption of the fixed line monthly subscription fees for one year amounting to RO 58.8 as well as the exemption of ADSL service rent for the first three months followed by a 50% discount of the subscription fees of the remaining nine months. They can take the Mobile Broadband offer, which gives them free mobile SIM card, free activation and subscription and free 3.5G modem and they have to subscribe to any of the daily, weekly or monthly packages, which suit the requirements and usages of the various segments of subscribers. Beneficiaries can avail of the offer from selected Omantel outlets all over the Sultanate. It is worth noting that the first stage of this national project covered more than 36,000 beneficiaries of Omantel’s offer.

Enhancing citizen’s capacities Following the signing of the Partnership Agreement for the second phase of this National PC Initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of Information Technology Authority Dr. Salem bin Sultan Al-Ruzaiqi said, “We are really pleased with the renewal of the Partnership Agreement with Omantel in support of the National PC Initiative for the provision of free internet for tens of thousands of beneficiaries across the Sultanate’s governorates.” He noted that since the start of the first phase in January 2011, the initiative plays an important role in strengthening the citizens’ capacities and polishing their skills in dealing with modern technology, thereby transforming Oman into a knowledge-based digital society. This initiative would contribute to increasing the number of computer and internet users in the society. It would also encourage them to remain in digital contact with the world, get information and services through the internet and keep pace with the new developments and advancements in technology. This without doubt will establish the pillars of the knowledge-based economy.

Free training for social insurances families Dr. Al-Ruzaiqi pointed out that the Information Technology Authority has provided free training for social insurance families who are covered by the National PC Initiative. Upon receiving his laptop and the bundled services, each beneficiary can register for training in specialized institutes selected by ITA to offer such training. Laptop Distribution Plan The CEO of ITA Dr. Al-Ruziaqi added, “The Information Technology Authority has taken all the necessary measures and prepared a plan to distribute the National PC Initiative laptops in all the governorates. The plan starts with the distribution of laptops and their accessories to social welfare families in Muscat, followed by other governorates.” Dr. Al-Ruzaiqi hailed the current cooperation between ITA and the Ministry of Social Development regarding the distribution of the initiative’s laptops. He added that more than 50,000 pieces were distributed to the targeted segments until date, pointing out that the number of beneficiaries of the internet offer during the first phase exceeded 36,000 users. The number of social insurance beneficiaries who got training is more than 5,500 families until date. Internet Offers Following the signing ceremony of the Partnership Agreement, the Chief Executive Officer of Omantel Dr. Amer bin Awadh Al-Rawas said, “There is no doubt that the company is proud of its participation in and support of this significant national PC initiative, which would achieve a real leap in the use of the internet especially as it comes as per the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.” Dr. Al-Rawas added that the company has formed a team to study the requirements of the initiative and implement the various phases of the project as well as the offers that would be introduced to the different beneficiaries in each phase. The team concluded that there is a need to introduce new offers for the second phase of the initiative in support of the beneficiaries. Omantel CEO said, “We would like to seize this opportunity to express our deep thanks to ITA for its great efforts and the facilities it has provided, which helped us reach the beneficiaries of the initiative in a very smooth and easy manner.” Dr. Al-Rawas added, “We are keen that all beneficiaries get Omantel offers for this national initiative. The company will continue delivering the offer that was announced in the first phase for social welfare families. Beneficiaries can select from the two available offers covering the Home Broadband ADSL service that provides free wireless modem, rent-free fixed line for one year, with 1GB download per month as well as free 75 minutes calls to fixed line or to get free mobile Broadband internet service through Omantel’s 3.5G network for one year, besides free modem, free SIM card and 1GB of monthly usage. Appropriate change The Chief Executive Officer of Omantel concluded by saying, “We have re-designed the offer for teachers and first year students of the higher education in order to give more advantages to the beneficiaries of this national initiative. The period of exemption from the rent of fixed line will be extended for one full year at a total amount of RO 58.8 and the exemption of ADSL subscription for the first three months, followed by a 50% discount for the remaining 9 months.

Omantel voted best telecom brand in OMAN

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the leading telecommunications company in Oman, has been voted once again the best telecoms service provider in the Sultanate in an independent survey conducted by the business magazine Business Today.

Around 100 executives including Chairmen, CEOs and General Managers from a cross section of Oman’s business community voted in the survey and gave Omantel a clear lead as the number one telecoms brand in the Sultanate.

Omantel has also been selected the most favored brand in seven different categories included in the survey namely Omanis, Arab & Asian Expatriates, over 40 years and under 40 years segments of the business executives – reinforcing the company’s leading position among different segments of its customers.

Omantel executives are delighted with the results achieved by this prestigious annual independent survey and the recognition the company has received from senior business executives.

Commenting on the survey, Todd Dick, Vice President of Omantel Business Unit said: “We are very proud to receive once again this recognition from the Sultanate’s top business executives who participated in this independent annual brand survey”.

“This distinction does not only reaffirm Omantel’s leadership of the Sultanate’s telecom market but also shows the trust and satisfaction that our customers have on our range of telecom solutions”.

“This recognition is another affirmation following a number of pledged testimonials from different companies from the oil & gas, banking, industrial and insurance sectors”.

“Omantel offers its corporate customers with the widest choice of tailored telecom solutions, the most extensive network reach and a world-class post sales service”.

“When it comes to businesses, it’s all about quality, reliability, security and round the clock technical support that distinguish telecom services providers and we believe this is what the Sultanate’s top business leaders have voted us for. We made substantial investments over the past few years to ensure the redundancy of our network hence giving our corporate customers three tiers of protection that is guaranteed through service level agreements”.

“Omantel Business has tens of thousands of corporate customers across the country and key to this success and growth is the company’s commitment to delivering personal service through a highly trained and qualified team who offer highly focused and personalized services to business customers”.

Omantel is the leading telecommunications company in Oman and has been bringing individuals, families and businesses together and has successfully connected all parts of the Omani community to each other and with the rest of the world through a state-of-the-art mobile and fixed networks.

Omantel warns Internet users to be on alert about suspicious calls

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In a statement issued yesterday, Omantel urges its customers to be on alert about suspicious calls they receive from unknown numbers telling them that they have won cash prizes from the company.

Manager of Complaints Management at Omantel’s Consumer Business Unit Saif Sultan Al Abri said, "With the wide spread of mobile telecommunications services, fraudsters invent new ways to lure mobile users through pretending that they the user won cash prizes and demand his personal information such as the name, address and bank account number.

Mr. Al Abri added, "We care about our customers interests and raising awareness about such practices is part of our responsibility. We are advising our customers to be cautious when responding to such calls” “This is not unique to Oman and is very common in other countries but it is our responsibility to advise Omantel customers of such acts. Omantel previously issued similar statement to alert our customers of such calls. The frequency of such calls fell down during the last period, but has reemerged very recently" Al Abri added.

Mr. Al-Abri further explained, "We have received several complaints from a number of customers saying that they have received calls from local numbers, informing them that they have won cash prizes during a draw organized by the company. Other customers indicated that they have received calls from international numbers with almost same set of requests including request to transfer funds to claim for the won prize"

“Omantel when organizing any promotional campaign, the same is advertised in media channels. The company never requests any personal information when it calls customers.

He called upon all customers not to respond to any suspicious calls and report the same immediately."

Omantel recognized as best performance listed company in Muscat Security Market

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the leading telecommunications company in Oman, has been recognized for its continued outstanding business performance and has been recognized as the best performing listed company in the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) at a prestigious business debate organized by Oman Economic Review (OER Debate 2011).

This year Omantel was named as the leading company in Oman for the sixth consecutive year in the annual OER Top Twenty companies – demonstrating once again the vital role that the telecommunications giant plays in the Omani economy, its development and creating prosperity.

Its success on the MSM is a clear indicator of the way that analysts and investors are supporting Omantel’s business strategy of merging its key operations into one unified business offering fixed, mobile and internet solutions to its customers and its commitment to bringing the advanced telecommunications technology to the Sultanate.

As the pioneer of telecommunications in Oman, the company is very proud to be receiving continuing recognition for its outstanding business performance after decades of operations and bringing the diverse and remote communities of the Sultanate together and connecting the nation.

On receiving the award, Dr. Al Rawas said: “We are proud to receive this award for the sixth consecutive year as this recognizes the success of our business performance. When it comes to the MSM, investors and analysts make hard decisions based on the effectiveness, competitiveness and financial performance of a company.

“The fact that Omantel is recognized as the best performing company in Oman in the market means that we are continuing to develop and perform very effectively as a business and following the right path for our goals of ensuring that Oman has the most modern telecommunications system for the progress of the nation and for commercial and individual growth and development.”

These awards come at the end of a year that will witness the legal merger of Oman Mobile with Omantel completing the full integration process of its mobile and fixed businesses” Dr. Al Rawas added that Omantel had now gone through a highly successful transformation in the way it operates, bringing its businesses closer together to ensure an enhanced customer experience and simpler processes for its ever growing customer base.

The company is experiencing the fastest growth of any telecommunications company in Oman while continuing to offer the broadest range of services – making Omantel the ideal provider for individual consumers, corporate companies and in the wholesale sector.

Sandeep Sehgal, Chief Executive, United Media Services says, “Omantel has once again emerged as the number one company on the OER Top 20 rankings for the year 2010, which exemplifies the high quality standards and benchmark that the company has set in the Sultanate’s telecom market. The win also underlines the investors’ trust on Omantel strategy and the Company’s ability to create consistent shareholder value.”

Omantel launches one month campaign at Wi-Fi cafes across Oman

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel Business is launching a one month campaign to encourage the general public to take advantage of the high speed Wi-Fi internet connection Omantel supplies to café outlets across the Sultanate.

Starting from 3rd of December, the campaign will feature two weekly draws where users can have the chance to win a range of exciting prizes that will include Ipads, Galaxy Tabs, Android Phones, BlackBerry devices and 3G modems.

Internet users across Oman are already logging on in bigger numbers than ever before to benefit from the Wi-Fi connections that Omantel Business provides to cafes including Starbucks; Costa Coffee; Second Cup; Mood Café; The Address Café; Al Makan Café and Al Rasafa Café and more Engineer Ahmed Al Ojaily Manager of Connectivity Solutions at Omantel Business said: “The use of the WiFi service provided by Omantel has increased significantly over the past years. The Wi-Fi we offer enables individuals to stay in touch for personal or business purposes and give the flexibility and mobility they need to stay connected with friends, family or business associates while enjoying their favorite cup of coffee.”

The special campaign period that is being launched by Omantel Business will run from 3rd December 2011 to 3rd January 2012 with eight draws providing a range of gifts to subscribers who browse the internet at any of the Omantel Wi-Fi enabled coffee shops in Oman.

The service provided by Omantel Business has already proved a major success this year with the number of people using the Wi-Fi services doubling to 290,578 users a month. This clearly demonstrates the increased value the public places on having ever increasing opportunities to log on while in their favorite coffee shop.

Omantel Business meanwhile continues to be recognized as the first choice for companies who need corporate telecommunications solutions that offer long-term support and technical expertise rivaling that of anywhere in the world.

It has the skills, experience and technology required to deliver tailored solutions to companies of all sizes across the Sultanate using its many years of experience, the largest network footprint in the country and a reputation for the finest customer service.

Omantel sponsors Muscat youth summit2011

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel has announced that it will Sponsor the forthcoming 3rd Muscat Youth Summit – reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting opportunities that help young Omanis develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

Muscat Oman Youth Summit 2011 is being organized by the Brand Oman Management Unit and will be held from 4-7 December at the Millennium Resort in Al-Mussanah and comprises a mix of Omani-based and international students attending the event. There will be more than 200 Omani and International students participating in the Muscat Youth Summit this year.

Hamdan Al-Harasi, Senior Manager of Events & Sponsorship Management at Omantel, said: “The Oman Youth Summit is a highly worthwhile platform that brings together young people from all over the Sultanate to discuss and debate the way forward for their country”.

“These young men and women are the leaders of tomorrow and as a business, we are fully supportive of forums like this that bring young people together and help to look at how the country must continue to evolve and embrace new thinking for the future”. AL Harasi said.

Many of Omantel’s products in mobile telephony and internet connectivity – both fixed and mobile – are focused towards the younger, tech savvy generation who are able to benefit from the company’s leading edge technology and the widest network footprint of any telecommunications operator within Oman.

Omantel is the leading telecommunications company in Oman and has been bringing individuals, families and businesses together and has successfully connected all parts of the Omani community to each other and with the rest of the world.

Omantel Ranks Top in Oman’s Best Brands Survey

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Omantel, the Sultanate’s telecoms giant, has scored an impressive double win in the Best Brands survey conducted by Oman Daily Observer, winning the number 1 brand slot in the telecom category and the number two position among the overall 180 Greatest Brands in Oman. This further reinforces Omantel’s standing both in the telecom market and in the various business sectors.

Commenting on this achievement, Rasha Ahmed Al Jamali, Senior Manager Corporate Communications at Omantel said, “We are proud to be once again the winner of Oman’s greatest brand in the telecom category. This is one of the fruits of the integration of Omantel & Oman Mobile operations with a main focus on having a customer centric organization. In the new organization, specialized units to cater for the needs of different customer segments were established where marketing, sales and customer care functions were built within every unit to ensure that we provide a world-class service to all segments,” Al Jamali added.

The survey aimed to achieve an accurate assessment of the Sultanate’s 180 brands and was derived from a perception based survey with parameters based on recall value, brand awareness and brand image/perception.

Omantel has endeavored to connect remote communities to each other and to the rest of the world. Omantel has also been a significant player in Oman’s progress and national development with its introduction of the most advanced broadband service portfolio in the Sultanate. It offers Home Broadband with speeds up to 40 MB, 3.5G mobile broadband with speeds up to 7.2 Mbit and Wi-Fi network access in key locations. Omantel has expanded into several related industries such as e-commerce and fibre optic manufacturing. Omantel provides more than 60 value added services to more than 2.2 million subscribers.

Omantel is the leading telecommunications company in Oman and has successfully connected different parts of the Omani community to each other and with the rest of the world through a modern network offers state-of-the-art fixed, mobile and internet services.