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Observer
18-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Omantel reports RO 3 billion revenue, expands tech strategy
Muscat – Omantel, Oman's leading telecommunications and digital solutions provider, reported consolidated revenues of RO 3.03 billion in 2024, reinforcing its transformation into a regional technology powerhouse. The company's evolution is anchored in robust financial performance, digital innovation, strategic international partnerships, and strong alignment with Oman Vision 2040. Omantel's net profit attributable to shareholders rose by 4.4% year-on-year to RO 78.1 million, with earnings per share increasing to RO 0.104. Domestically, revenues reached RO 622.6 million, a 2.7% increase, supported by 6% growth in postpaid mobile and 7% in fixed broadband services. The Group maintained a 40.2% mobile market share and a 54.4% fixed broadband share, with mobile subscribers reaching 3.96 million and fixed broadband users surpassing 311,000. Regionally, Zain Group — in which Omantel holds a 21.9% stake — contributed RO 2.47 billion in revenues, with double-digit growth in Iraq (11%) and strong gains in Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In 2024, Omantel achieved RO 25 million in procurement savings through synergies with Zain Group. The two operators also launched Zain Omantel International (ZOI), a major regional wholesale gateway serving eight countries. Omantel's global connectivity footprint expanded with the launch of the SN1 data centre in Salalah, in partnership with Equinix. With 10 submarine cables landing in Salalah, the city has become the second most connected location in the Middle East, after only Fujairah. Omantel now operates a subsea network spanning 120,000 km, with connections to over 120 international cities, supported by two carrier-neutral data centres and six cable landing stations. Following the successful completion of its 'Shift Gear' strategy, Omantel launched its new five-year roadmap — 'Portal to the Future' — focusing on AI, cloud computing, fintech, and smart infrastructure. Group-level ICT revenue rose 55.5%, supported by digital subsidiaries including Oman Data Park and Future Cities (Tadoom). Notable product launches included the OmPay fintech platform, a new API marketplace, and 300+ AI-driven customer engagement campaigns. Strategic cloud collaborations continued with Amazon Web Services, Google, Oracle and Huawei to support national digital infrastructure under the National Cloud initiative. Omantel intensified its sustainability efforts in 2024, completing full GHG baseline assessments for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and rolling out AI-powered energy optimisation across its networks. Over 200 metric tonnes of e-waste were recycled, while solar-powered infrastructure was deployed at key sites. The company invested RO 750,000 in CSR programmes, reaching over 260,000 beneficiaries. Key initiatives included: • Completion of the RO 1 million 'My House, My Shelter' campaign • Launch of 'Maqroo', the world's first Arabic font for dyslexic readers • Omanisation rate of 94.3%, with 26% of staff and 19% of leadership roles held by women Omantel Academy trained youth and graduates in AI, cybersecurity, and cloud through flagship programmes such as AI Empowered Youth and Future Skills Empowered Nation. As the digital enabler of Oman Vision 2040, Omantel continues to lead the country's technological evolution through integrated solutions spanning AI, IoT, fintech, and cloud. Its infrastructure and service model are central to Oman's ambitions to become a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. Chairman Mulham bin Basheer Al-Jarf noted that the company's shift to a tech-native enterprise will 'shape a future where every connection enriches lives.' CEO Talal Al Mamari confirmed that Omantel is entering a new growth phase, creating long-term value across markets and communities. With its bold strategy, digital investments, and social impact, Omantel is positioned to remain at the forefront of regional innovation and sustainable development
Jordan Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Berlin's 'unforgettable' Holocaust memorial turns 20
Partial view of Berlin's Holocaust memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) in Berlin, on May 27, 2024 AFP photo BERLIN — Some say it feels like walking through a field of gravestones. Others liken it to a maze of coffins, disorientating and eerily quiet despite being in the middle of Berlin. The German capital's sombre Holocaust memorial -- an arrangement of 2,711 concrete steles which has drawn millions of visitors -- marks its 20th anniversary this month. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe has become a powerful symbol of Germany's determination to ensure the crimes of the Holocaust are not forgotten. But as the world readies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, fears are growing that the country's strong tradition of remembrance is starting to erode. Architect Peter Eisenman, whose New York firm designed the memorial, said he wanted to create "an experience that you would have walking in the space like you couldn't have in any other space in the city". "People find it quite scary because even though it's open to the city, you can disappear and you can lose a child, for example," Eisenman, 92, told AFP. But the idea "was not to make people feel bad or guilty or anything like that", he said. "Kids love it because they play tag and hide-and-seek and run around, and people sunbathe on the pillars. You're supposed to do whatever you want to do. It's not prescribed." 'Quite like a cemetery' The idea of establishing a central Holocaust memorial in Berlin was born in the 1980s but the project was delayed for several years amid concerns that it may provoke anti-Semitism. The German parliament finally agreed on the project in 1999 and the finished memorial, including an underground information centre, officially opened on May 10, 2005. There are no figures on how many people visit it each year but Uwe Neumaerker, the head of the foundation that takes care of it, said that in general "everyone who visits Berlin also visits this memorial". "It is accessible day and night, and there are always visitors here. It's hard to say that people love it but they have taken it into their hearts," he said. Maintaining and securing the memorial costs around two million euros ($2.3 million) a year, according to Neumaerker but "considering the crowds of visitors, it's money well spent". On any given day in Berlin, in any weather, groups of tourists can be seen wandering through the steles, taking pictures and pausing to reflect on history. "I think the German nation have been good to put something like that as a memorial," said Clifford Greenhalgh, 74, visiting from England on a sunny spring day.
South China Morning Post
02-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Government should get it right. Optometry comes under primary care
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement I am writing to provide input into the Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Bill 2025, as a registered optometrist and former member of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council. One of the bill's proposals is to rename 'supplementary medical professions' as 'allied health professions' to align with the Hospital Authority's practice. While I agree that 'supplementary medical professions' is outdated and needs changing, the new term should be carefully deliberated. The term 'supplementary medical professions' was British in origin. The UK's Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine was established in 1960. This was replaced by the Health Professions Council as early as 2002, then renamed the Health and Care Professions Council in 2010. Additionally, in the United Kingdom, optometrists are not regulated by these councils; they have always been regulated by a separate General Optical Council. Advertisement
Times of Oman
28-04-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Oman participates in meetings on Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm conventions
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman participated in the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, being held at Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) until May 9. The meetings will discuss several topics related to the three conventions' relationship to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the establishment of a toxic-free future through sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste. The meetings addressed means of effective implementation of the agreements' provisions through integration among various parties. They also deal with cutting down waste and pollution and achieving economic and social prosperity, in addition to activating the role of the private sector in mitigating environmental impacts by adopting modern technical methods and espousing a scientific approach to production methods. The meeting discussed technical assistance and financial resources, international coordination among parties to the three conventions and memoranda of understanding (moUs) between the United Nations Environment Programme, the Conference of the Parties and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). More than 190 countries are taking part in the meetings, in addition to representatives and observers from international governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society.
South China Morning Post
22-03-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must go digital to enhance water security
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement On World Water Day, I would like to remind people that we are avoidably wasting one of the world's most precious resources when 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water. In Hong Kong, we are witnessing serious water loss : unmetered water consumption accounts for 37 per cent of total consumption. Last year, the leakage rate of government mains was 13.4 per cent. The leakage rate for private pipes is estimated to be 12 per cent. I suspect many are unaware of the leakage of that much water and public money. Minimising water loss is urgently needed to reduce unnecessary wastage and limit carbon emissions. Water treatment and round-the-clock distribution to residents in high-rise buildings consumes a lot of energy. Curbing water loss can also help alleviate the government's financial burden, especially as the city faces a huge budget deficit. There are many good practices that Hong Kong can learn from. Denmark, for example, has achieved average water loss of 7.8 per cent by implementing technological measures coupled with financial penalties imposed on utility companies for water distribution loss that exceeds 10 per cent. Advertisement In Guangdong province, the coverage rate of Shenzhen's smart meters reached 73 per cent last year. By integrating emerging technologies into water management, the city's overall water leakage rate dropped to 5.1 per cent. This is a good model to learn from.
