Third telecoms licence issued to Sama Telecommunications

According to a decree issued by Sultan Qaboos, Sama Telecommunications (Samatel) has won Oman’s third telecom licence. Reuters reports that the ‘Class 1’ licence enables the operator to set up and operate a system to provide general international telecommunication services for 15 years. The value or any other details of the concession have not been disclosed. Samatel will join the Sultanate’s two existing operators, incumbent Oman Telecommunications (Omantel) and Nawras. The latter of which is controlled by Qatar’s Qtel, and broke Omantel’s monopoly in the wireless market in 2004. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Samatel already operates in the Omani wireless market as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). The company, which is 100% Omani-owned, launched services for residential and business users in August 2010 over the network of second national operator Nawras. The firm targets untapped and underserved segments of the market, with services and competitive pricing tailored to suit specific needs.