12 Feb Interview with Aladdin Bait Fadhil, CEO at Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel)
Oman’s information and communication technologies sector is expanding rapidly, fueled by the Oman Vision 2040 socioeconomic plan and positioning the country as a leading regional ICT hub. To start the interview, how would you describe the main trends shaping Oman’s ICT sector today and what gives it such a competitive edge in the region?
Oman’s ICT growth story is closely tied to Vision 2040, which targets a 10% contribution to national gross domestic product from the sector. Today, we’re approaching 1.5%, much of it driven by the strength of Omantel’s telecom infrastructure.
Over the past five to six years, we’ve witnessed significant momentum across digital transformation initiatives, particularly within government entities and large enterprises. The shift toward cloudification, process automation and e-services has opened new opportunities for integrated telecommunications and ICT players like Omantel to deliver advanced connectivity and digital solutions that enable and accelerate the country’s broader transformation agenda.
Many Omani startups are emerging in the ICT sector, which I’m proud of, and many of them are outcomes of Omantel Innovation Labs, our startup support arm. Since its launch in 2021, we have worked closely with startups, providing access to technology and mentorship, enabling them to test their solutions and investing in them as well. This model has gained strong momentum, allowing us to derisk our investments and attract international investors and startups to Oman.
Omantel plays a major role in achieving the ICT vision by continuing to strengthen infrastructure. Today, Oman enjoys nationwide 5G coverage and we’re investing heavily in submarine cables. Soon, we will be the only operator with 22 submarine cables landing in Oman. We’re also expanding our data center footprint. Through partnerships and joint ventures with Equinix, one of the world’s leading data center companies, we’ve built two data centers that host many hyperscalers. Some of these hyperscalers have established their largest network switches at our center in Salalah, Oman. We continue to see rising demand for expanded submarine cable systems and data center capacity.
One of Omantel’s most significant contributions to the ICT sector has been our investments that go well beyond connectivity. For example, our group subsidiary, Oman Data Park, which I have the privilege to chair, is rapidly emerging as the national digital champion, offering managed services across data centers, the cloud and hyperscaler ecosystem, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, system integration, and artificial intelligence- and machine learning-embedded industry solutions. Its comprehensive portfolio is tailored to serve both government and enterprise clients.
We also established Tadoom, a specialized company focused on Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city solutions. Tadoom manages all smart metering services for water and electricity entities across the sultanate and delivers cutting-edge services such as drone-based infrastructure monitoring and digital twin solutions. Similarly, Infoline is an established Omantel entity providing contact-center services, business process outsourcing, and related digital solutions.
Together, these initiatives reflect Omantel’s evolution into a fully integrated digital infrastructure and solutions provider. We’re continuing to invest and expand — with new ICT investments and acquisitions to be announced soon. Combined with our robust telecom infrastructure and efforts to attract global hyperscalers to establish data centers in Oman, I’m confident we’ll not only meet Vision 2040’s goal of ICT contributing 10% to GDP but also surpass it.
As Oman’s first and leading integrated telecommunications provider, Omantel has been at the heart of the country’s telecom evolution for decades and it recorded a 46.2% profit surge in the first half of 2025. The company is now evolving beyond traditional telecom services into advanced technology solutions, especially under its Portal to the Future 2025–2030 strategy. How does this strategy reflect the company’s long-term vision?
Portal to the Future is one of our most ambitious strategies. We have realized that AI will be a vital factor in the future of any company, not just in telecom. Our goal is to become a leader in AI — this is the most important pillar of our Portal to the Future strategy.
We began by forming key partnerships. The first step was to ask ourselves: how can we become an AI factory for Oman? We traveled to the US and met with leading AI companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Scale AI, Cohere and Oracle. Together, we started shaping our vision. Building strong partnerships with global AI leaders is a crucial foundation.
The next step is understanding what the Omani market truly needs. Finally, we’re focusing on attracting the right talent to Oman. Human capital in AI remains scarce — not only in Oman but worldwide. However, we’ve already identified promising Omani startups with strong potential. With the right exposure and collaboration with international partners, we believe they can accelerate their learning curve and help bridge the gap between market demand and AI capabilities.
At Omantel, our approach is to orchestrate the ecosystem — connecting market needs, local innovators and global expertise. We’re actively facilitating these linkages and will soon announce strategic AI partnerships that aim to strengthen Oman’s position as a regional epicenter for applied AI and innovation.
Collaborations with global firms and foreign investment are amplifying Omantel’s international reach, including via Zain Omantel International (ZOI), one of the Middle East’s largest wholesale telecommunications companies and a joint venture with the regional telecom giant Zain Group. Omantel holds a 21.9% share in Zain Group with majority board seats, making it a subsidiary of Omantel, and giving it a total market of over 54 million subscribers in eight Middle Eastern countries. How has this cross-border partnership strengthened Omantel’s competitiveness on the regional and global stage?
ZOI is one of the best synergies to come from our acquisition of Zain Group. Operating in eight markets is very different from operating in just one. Most internet traffic flows through the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and Yemen, and recently there have been growing concerns about the stability of those routes. We’re developing alternative cable routes that land in Salalah, Oman and extend through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the Mediterranean and Europe. This ensures redundancy, reduces dependency on existing routes and enhances regional connectivity. We couldn’t have achieved this without the regional presence enabled by Zain Omantel International.
Moreover, our data center expansion plans are tied to this collaboration. Through ZOI, we’re working to extend our data center footprint across all eight markets, strengthening Omantel’s competitiveness regionally and globally.
What makes Omantel stand out as a regional leader for AI, data and digital infrastructure development?
Geographically, Oman sits at the gateway to the Middle East and we’ve capitalized on this advantage. We’ve proven that Oman is a preferred destination for many hyperscalers to land their cables. Its geographical position, political stability and skilled human capital have all helped us build strong relationships with hyperscalers and attract them to invest in Oman.
Another thing that truly sets Oman apart as an ideal hub for data centers and connectivity is our abundant renewable resources. One of the biggest global concerns is the energy consumption of data centers and their environmental impact. In Oman, this challenge becomes an opportunity. We are rich in cleaner energy sources — solar, wind and natural gas — that can power data centers sustainably. The conversation around green energy is becoming central to how we design our digital infrastructure.
Beyond energy, Oman offers unique natural advantages. For example, we’re conducting joint studies with Stanford University to explore how cold deep-sea water off our coast could serve as a natural cooling resource for data centers. While research is ongoing, it demonstrates Oman’s potential to leverage its environment to support sustainable digital growth. Ultimately, this blend of location, resources and forward-looking initiatives makes Oman stand out in the region and positions us as a future leader in green, sustainable data center development.
The demand for infrastructure expansion will only grow. Today, most AI is served from data centers located in places like the US. As AI inferencing increases, global data center networks will need to expand closer to users — much like the internet did. In addition to this, edge AI and telco-network AI will need the AI high-performance computing to be closer to consumption. We aim to be ready by developing edge nodes and expanding our data centers to host large-scale AI training and application workloads in Oman.
This is complemented by our extensive fiber network and submarine cables. Since we also hold a controlling stake in Zain Group, we’re adopting a regional approach to build and connect infrastructure across the Middle East. Our network extends from Oman through Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan, and we’re in discussions with other neighboring countries to further expand. We’ve successfully connected the East and West for internet services and I believe that, for future AI requirements, Oman will play a leading role.
Omantel invests heavily in education and innovation. How is the group cultivating local talent and empowering entrepreneurs to help drive Oman’s innovation ecosystem to the next level?
Our DNA is in telecommunications, but the future demands more. We’ve expanded and acquired ICT companies, tapping into data centers, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT and smart cities. Alongside this, we’ve launched two key programs.
The first is Omantel Academy, which collaborates with international institutions such as Stanford and the London Business School. We designed its curriculum to reskill our employees and prepare new joiners for future jobs. Together with our partners, we identified 35 emerging roles that the market will need. Omantel Academy’s programs equip both employees and new joiners to meet those needs.
The second initiative is Omantel Innovation Labs, which operates through two streams. The first is internal: employees with ideas can experiment in the lab. If their ideas succeed, they can spin them off into startups with our support; if not, they can return to their roles and continue contributing. The second stream hosts external startups and founders specializing in future technologies such as smart cities, fintech, insurtech, and generative AI. We intentionally avoid telecom startups because we believe the market and technology are evolving beyond traditional telecom.
We’ve seen remarkable innovation coming from Omantel Innovation Labs because we give startups room to experiment. We act as project zero or customer zero, enabling startups to test and refine their models or platforms within Omantel before launching them to the market. This experimentation has consistently produced better outcomes.
For example, we awarded a contract to a startup that started in our labs to build Omantel’s Corporate Brain AI. We conducted a proof of concept, allowing them to collect and test data within Omantel’s secure, sovereign environment, and we’ve seen excellent results. Another initiative that emerged from the Innovation Labs is Data as a Service.
How is Omantel strengthening its capacities in AI-based cybersecurity?
Omantel has been at the forefront of AI adoption in cybersecurity use cases such as threat hunting and incident response. These applications have helped our security team significantly reduce the mean time to detect and mean time to respond to incidents. They have also automated many routine tasks, allowing our experts to focus on more advanced areas and optimize their time.
Looking ahead through 2026 and beyond, we plan to adopt additional AI-based use cases, such as automated security assessments and red-team activities. These will help address skills shortages in this domain and manage the growing scope and complexity of cybersecurity operations.
Are there opportunities for international investors, particularly from the US, to support Omantel’s growth? Which areas could benefit most from such partnerships?
Collaboration has always been central to Omantel’s success. We firmly believe that if you don’t yet have the expertise, the best approach is to partner with those who do — and that philosophy continues to guide us.
We see strong potential for US and global investors to collaborate with us in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, IoT, smart cities and cloud services. For instance, we’re already working with leading international firms to strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities.
But beyond technology, the most critical element is human capital. These partnerships aren’t just about importing knowledge — they’re about developing Omani talent, empowering startups, and supporting SMEs through structured innovation and capability-building programs. This ecosystem approach, where knowledge transfer and local empowerment go hand in hand, is what will truly sustain Oman’s digital future.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Omantel’s growth and the lasting economic and social benefits it will bring to Oman?
Our vision is to leverage everything that makes Oman unique — its strategic programs, investor incentives, geographical location, political stability and regional footprint strengthened by our partnership and shareholding in Zain Group. These advantages position Omantel to be a regional leader in ICT.
I’m very optimistic about the future. With a clear plan and robust strategy, we aim not only to lead the ICT sector in Oman but also to expand our influence across the region — creating long-term economic and social benefits by driving innovation, digital adoption and talent development throughout the sultanate.
Oman is ready to be a key driver of digital transformation. The country has the capabilities, energy, storage and computing resources needed to achieve its future ambitions. I see Oman emerging as a regional ICT hub — supporting its partners, enabling them to realize their strategies and contributing to the broader digital economy.