Nawras receives fixed line licence

Qatar incumbent telco Qtel has announced that its Omani subsidiary Nawras has received a licence to provide fixed, data and international telecoms services through a royal decree. The 25-year concession also allows Nawras to use its network to offer WiMAX and HSDPA services in Oman, with spectrum rights granted for 15 years. Sheikh Salim bin Mostahail Al-Mashani, chairman of Nawras, said: ‘The award of the new licence is hugely significant for Nawras, providing us with the legal framework to enable our company’s transformation into a full-service, integrated telecoms provider for Oman. We are committed to offering a full range of services for the people, to meet the developing communication needs of the Sultanate.’ According to CommsUpdate, Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) declared domestic wireless operator Nawras as the winner of the country’s second fixed line licence in November 2008. At 31 March 2009 the company was Oman’s second largest cellco by subscribers to Omantel, with a mobile subscriber base of 1.59 million, representing a market share of 47.45%.