The Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has held a workshop to accelerate the development of 5G connectivity in the Sultanate, leveraging the latest technologies from around the world to spur national competitiveness in line with Oman Vision 2040.
The workshop also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TRA and Huawei Tech Investment in Oman to collaborate in developing the local talent in the telecommunications sector in the country.
The MoU comes in line with Huawei’s commitment in the region to empowering local talents in the telecommunications sector as ICT has become a crucial growth engine for societies and many different industries.
In addition, the workshop highlighted the expected benefits of 5G connectivity to local industries such as healthcare, logistics, transportation, education, and much more. By facilitating open dialogue with ICT industry pioneers the TRA aims to further support a local 5G ecosystem and develop innovative applications and business models for Oman.
During the workshop, representatives from Omantel presented plans for commercialising 5G in partnership with the TRA. Experts from Ooredoo also shared plans for embracing Industry 4.0 applications using 5G infrastructure and devices.
The TRA also welcomed global ICT solutions providers to the workshop to offer their views on 5G capabilities and recent international case studies. This included a deep-dive session on the logistics and transportation industry hosted by Huawei. In addition to being a key sector of the Omani economy, it is one where the benefits of 5G can be felt most keenly in enhancing the visibility and management of connected vehicles, devices, and goods.
Key drivers for 5G deployment include increased network capacity, lower cost per gigabyte, and new business use cases. Experts have previously noted the correlation between a high level of digitisation—which is bolstered by 5G—and economic growth, leading to higher GDP as well as national competitiveness. According to the latest Global Industry Vision 2025 report, the potential of 5G for individuals, businesses, and society is enormous, with 58% of the world’s population anticipated having access to 5G by 2025.
The TRA has already begun preparations to enable companies to provide 5G services and to encourage investment in the sector. In the next four years, 4,400 stations are committed to being constructed by Omantel and Ooredoo. The latest 5G workshop builds on similar initiatives with government agencies and the private sector to plan 5G applications in preparation for network readiness.
