Nawras, SES sign capacity contract to serve rural areas

Satellite operator SES has announced that Oman’s Nawras has signed a capacity agreement on the NSS-6 satellite, which will allow the company to provide services such as high quality GSM backhaul and broadband across the Sultanate, including rural areas. NSS-6’s high-performance Ku-band beam is specifically devised to support key telecom infrastructure, enterprise and broadband networks across several regions, including the Middle East. ‘Satellite is an important component in our network, as it caters for voice and internet services in hard to reach locations,’ commented Wolfgang Wemhoff, CTO at Nawras, adding: ‘We have a trusted partner in SES, where we are assured of a robust and reliable service and the best technical solution, as well as a dedicated local team which understands the dynamics and specific requirements of our business here in Oman.’ Nawras, which secured Oman’s second national telecoms licence in June 2004, is 55%-owned by Ooredoo (formerly known as Qatar Telecom [Qtel]), while a number of Omani pension funds hold 5%. The remaining 40% is in free float.