Oman Tower awards $21m contract for supply of telecom towers

PASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE: Contract is in line with OTC’S mandate to help build a standardised telecommunications infrastructure to be utilised by all the licensed operators in the Sultanate

Oman Tower Company (OTC), the sole telecom wireless passive infrastructure provider in the Sultanate, has announced the award of a contract valued at around $21 million for the supply and installation of telecom towers for the Omani telecom industry.

The contract, awarded to three suppliers, covers the supply and installation of different types of telecom towers designed to meet the requirements of licensed operators Omantel and Ooredoo, as well as the third telecom operator, Vodafone Oman, which will launch commercial operations in the Sultanate in the second half of 2020.

“The contract has been awarded to three suppliers after long discussions with more than 15 suppliers to fine-tune the final version of the set specifications,” OTC, which is 10 per cent owned by the Omani government, said in a tweet over the weekend.

The contract is in line with OTC’S mandate to help build a standardised telecommunications infrastructure to be utilised by all the licensed operators in the Sultanate of Oman. The first stage of investment, estimated at more than RO 15 million ($40m), will involve the installation of around 600 towers to expand the network of the incumbent and future operators. Oman Tower Company was established early 2018 to provide the passive in infrastructure (typically encompassing the steel towers, shelters for the base transceiver stations, power supply, generators and batteries, air-conditioning and so on) to licensed wireless telecom service operators, as well as government entities, in an open access manner.

The company “provides various infrastructure solutions such as greenfield towers, rooftops, in-building solutions and other innovative ideas for the 4th Industrial Revolution. Moving ahead with the coming technologies like 5G, IOT and others, OTC is working with suppliers of street furniture to accommodate future antennas,” it said on its website.

Prominent well-diversified Omani business house Oman 70 Holding is a majority shareholder in Oman Tower Company, with a 56 per cent stake. Providing international expertise to the partnership is Activco, specialists in the management, operation and maintenance of telecommunication towers, with a 34 per cent stake. Wholly government-owned Oman Broadband Company owns the balance 10 per cent stake in OTC.

Last December, Omantel and Ooredoo signed agreements with OTC for the installation, management and operation of greenfield tower assets across the country. In May, majority government-owned Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the largest oil and gas producer in the Sultanate, also signed a revenue sharing agreement with OTC for the use of 63 self-supporting towers, as well as new telecom structures that are planned to be constructed in new oilfield areas.