Omantel announces introduction of leading edge Fiber To The Home
tap_and_play Service providers
FTTH System Pioneered At Muscat Hills and The Wave Muscat: Omantel, Oman’s leading Telecommunications Company, has announced the introduction of leading edge Fibre to the Home (FTTH) technology in Oman that will provide the fastest and most comprehensive range of internet applications.
The FTTH technology, supplied by Omantel’s technology partner Huawei, delivers at a first stage Ultra broadband with speeds of 80 MB/s and will support such as high definition video, video on demand, e-Education etc.
Installing FTTH requires the use of advanced Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology which has been introduced to the Omani market for the first time and allows the introduction of Triple Play Services.
It is ideally suited for the introduction into new real estate projects with the technology becoming part of the infrastructure network as the Muscat Hills and The Wave residential projects have been developed.
Samy Al Ghassany Vice President of Integrated Network & Technology at Omantel says: “The introduction of FTTH using the GPON technology from Huawei is a remarkable leap in the application of modern communications technology that can provide a comprehensive variety of entertainment options for both the home and business users through a high speed connection network.
“Omantel already has the fibre infrastructure in place that is connecting different parts of the country through four main local fibre-optic rings and with the rest of the world through several submarine fibre optic cables.
“Introducing leading edge technology of this nature will help to bring residents together in high speed networks and allow customers to simply upgrade bandwidth speeds as required.”
He explained that the introduction of the new FTTH system would open up a new and exciting world of entertainment and connectivity for users who are connected and able to benefit from the quality and higher speeds of the new optical fibre network.
GPON was selected as the preferred access technology for Muscat Hills and The Wave as it allowed an economical use of fibre resources while delivering high bandwidth that can achieve Ultra-broadband. FTTH has already been introduced at The Wave to Sector 3 and soon at Sector 4 with plans to shortly migrate residents of Sectors 1 and 2 to FTTH.
James Wu, General Manager of Huawei Oman said that it is honor for Huawei to join hands again with Omantel to provide our innovative FTTH solutions which are generating substantial business opportunities and value to Sultanate of Oman as well as enriching life through FTTH (Fibre To The Home).
He said: “With this new FTTH network, Omantel will be able to deliver advanced services, including High Definition IPTV and a super fast internet access. Also we have already achieved outstanding results with this technology in the neighboring United Arab Emirates and are looking forward to building on that success here in the Sultanate.
“In Abu Dhabi we have now reached a 100 % FTTH reach in the city. Currently they have nearly 700,000 households connected in the UAE with plans to increase that to one million by 2011.”
Huawei has been recognized as the largest provider of GPON solutions in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and has engaged with some of the world’s leading telecom companies including British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia, and Portugal Telecom, Etisalat in addition to Omantel.
Omantel has chosen to partner with Huawei because of the quality of our technology, the expertise of our people and the global experience in delivering the best and most advance optical fibre technology that has helped to transform the home experience of broadband internet and other fibre-related services.
Commenting on the introduction of the FTTH system at The Wave, Michael Lenarduzzi, CEO, The Wave, Muscat said: “This system allows us to offer our customers the very latest and best connectivity for high-speed internet and entertainment options adding significant value to the offer we have to individuals who have already bought properties and those who plan to in the future.“It is very reassuring for us to know that Omantel is able to deliver a system that is recognized as the best of its kind around the world.”
“It is very reassuring for us to know that Omantel is able to deliver a system that is recognized as the best of its kind around the world.”
Official at Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club said: “Investors buying a new home today expect to have the best technology in their home as standard. The introduction of FTTH to our properties at Muscat Hills achieves that objective and gives our property owners peace of mind that they have the best very connections already in place in their home.”
GPON is an optical fibre access technology designed for the delivery of higher-capacity broadband services and a greater coverage footprint than can be provided by the legacy Digital Subscriber Loop (DSL) systems. In Oman, Huawei delivers services to Omantel both directly and through its local sub contractor Oman Fiber Optic Co.
The announcement of the introduction of the FTTH technology comes just a few weeks after Omantel revealed the launch of its new enhanced brand and “Together” brand tagline.