Nawras launches FTTH trial network

Oman’s second national telecoms operator Nawras Telecom has announced the launch of a trial fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Al Mabailah North. For a period of three months, around 200 customers living in the area will be able to take part in a free trial of high speed broadband services over the network, which supports theoretical download speeds of between 10Mbps and 100Mbps. A selection of four different FTTH pricing plans offering a variety of different speeds will be trialled to enable the operator to fine tune its offerings ahead of a full commercial launch. Nawras, which is majority-owned by Qatar Telecom (Qtel), is working with Haya Water Company and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to implement the fibre-optic project; the operator is using the trenches dug by Haya Water for its water reuse project to lay the FTTH cables.