The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has revealed that the licensing process for Oman’s third mobile operator has reached its final stage, and an announcement can be expected in early-2019. Local news site Muscat Daily cites comments from Eng Yousef bin Abdullah al Balushi, deputy CEO for spectrum management affairs at the TRA, who was speaking at a TRA event which saw frequencies in the 3400MHz-3700MHz (3.5GHz) band allocated to the country’s cellcos.
The event, which took place at the Kempinski Hotel in Muscat, saw Omantel allocated 100MHz in the 3400MHz-3500MHz band and Ooredoo awarded the 3500MHz-3600MHz frequencies. Spectrum in the 3600MHz to 3700MHz band has been earmarked for the as-yet-unnamed third operator. Balushi commented: ‘The aim of this process is to create a competitive atmosphere to provide better services at reasonable rates for all parties.’