FRiENDi to offer 4G ‘within a year’

Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) FRiENDi Mobile plans to offer 4G LTE services in Oman within the next twelve months, Times of Oman reports, citing the firm’s CEO Martin Glud. FRiENDi was the Sultanate’s first MVNO to market, launching services over the network infrastructure of Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) in April 2009 and offering 3G mobile internet service from February 2011. Glud also revealed that the MVNO plans to roll out its own-branded FRiENDi stores in various regions, starting with a flagship store in Assalah Tower in Al Ghubra, to better serve customers. The wireless service provider, which is part of Dubai-based Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA), has close to half a million customers in Oman, accounting for around 70% of the market’s mobile reseller subscriber base.