Broadband services in Oman used to be offered mainly via buried copper or LTE modems which are unreliable and expensive. Through this project, Oman Broadband Company is rolling out a network of fiber optic broadband cable to over 700,000 homes and buildings. Upon completion in 2025, it will cover close to 80 percent of urban areas in the country, changing the lives of many.

AIIB and Oman Broadband launched the project in 2017 and have already boosted Oman’s infrastructure in the information and communication technology sector. The project has improved digital literacy and productivity and increased Oman’s attractiveness as a destination for manufacturing business and strategic logistics services. It is also helping to progressively diversify Oman’s economy from its dependency on hydrocarbons.

This session provided an opportunity to see how connectivity infrastructure projects are prepared, implemented and create impact.

Speakers:

• Supee Teravaninthorn, Director General, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 2), AIIB
• Gregory Liu, Manager, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 2), AIIB
• Sara Al Abdali, Head of Elite Customer Relations, Awasr
• Eng. Said Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mandhari, Board Chairman and CEO, Oman ICT Group
• Rohan Dhamija, Managing Partner, Analysys Mason
• Grace Yue Zhou, Director, Investment I, Silk Road Fund