Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) has acquired additional spectrum in the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands for a price-tag of OMR7.7 million (USD19.9 million), according to the operator’s financial report for the quarter ended 30 June 2015. Omantel says it expects to use the frequencies to boost its deployment of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and widen its LTE network coverage across the Sultanate, resulting in improved quality of broadband services.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, on 4 August the telco’s sole rival Ooredoo Oman also announced that it had acquired additional LTE frequencies in the aforementioned bands, at a cost of OMR9.6 million. Omantel and Ooredoo launched 4G services in December 2012 and February 2013, respectively.
In other news, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has reduced the fine it had imposed on Omantel for service interruptions in November last year from OMR5 million to OMR3 million. Times of Oman reports that as part of the amended decision, Omantel will have to pay OMR1 million in cash and build telecom towers at the cost of OMR2 million in rural areas.