Nawras launches state-of-the-art Network Operation Centre in Bausher

Mobilk - Nawras has officially launched their new Network Operation Centre (NOC) in Bausher, at a ceremony attended by: H.E. Said Bin Hamdoon Al–Harthy, Undersecretary for Port & Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Transport & Communications; representatives from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA); Ooredoo executives Sheikh Saud Al Thani and Dr Shaikha Al Jabir; Nawras Chairman Sayyid Amjad bin Mohamed Al Busaidi; senior management. 

Speaking at the event, Greg Young, Nawras CEO, said, “We would like to extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Communication and Transport and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) for their support and guidance during this process. The launch of the NOC is a major step forward in the evolution of telecommunications in the Sultanate. It also underpins the huge investment in our newly Turbocharged  network.”

The new Nawras NOC controls the nationwide network from Musandam to Salalah. The NOC control spans all sites and technologies, mobile and fixed, 2G, 3G, 4G, WiMAX and FTTX. Every single piece of technology in each site (totalling more than 4500) is controlled from the NOC. This extensive network management is mainly undertaken by Huawei our managed service partner. The NOC is situated on top of our Main Data Centre, which is one of our five such centres, which ensure full geographical redundancy. We have invested in the most advanced testing systems, including test robots from Keynote SiGOS. In addition, probing systems from Nexus and Netscout are deployed across our network and systems that perform hourly health checks of all our main services. These best in class systems enable us to conduct extensive root cause investigations for any service impacting, ensuring swift restoration of the impacted service.

 Elaborating on the benefits of the new Main Data Centre, Wolfgang Wemhoff, Nawras Chief Technology Officer, said, “The new data centre   provides a state-of-the-art home for our business critical systems. It is a technology masterpiece. It meets all international standards and is future-proof. Out of this building we monitor the quality we provide to our customers and can identify issues even before a customer faces a problem. Here, you feel the heartbeat of our Turbocharging programme.”

Also speaking, Ahmed Al Abri, Director – Information and Infrastructure at Nawras, commented on some of the impressive technical features of the Data Centre. “The technical specifications and capabilities are very impressive and include things such as having 7 back-up generators, a 4-chiller cooling system, total commercial power of 6 MVA, and separate back-up systems for the telecoms and IT racks. The facility has a total space of 650 square metres for servers.”

Nawras has already invested over 70 million Omani Rials in upgrading their network, in support of the TRA’s ‘National Broadband Strategy’. This is despite the tough geographical challenges this has involved and also the fact that this is double the international average for investment. But in line with the Government’s Vision 2020, Nawras has committed 200 million Omani Rials over the next two years to develop communications in Oman and improve high-speed support for education, the development of small businesses and the private sector, and sectors that rely on technology and connectivity.