Omantel, a major player in Oman’s telecom sector, has announced the launch of its new data center in Salalah, the country’s third largest city and a growing hub of business and technology, located in southern Oman in the Dhofar governorate.
While Omantel has not released any specifications about the upcoming facility, according to local media reports, the facility will be interconnected with over 10 new submarine cables connecting Salalah to Asia and Europe, along with three relay centers to provide efficient network support services in Salalah and the southern part of Oman.
Founded in 1970, Omantel is majority owned by Oman Investment Authority (OIA), a wholly owned investment arm of the Omani government. The announcement about the new data center was made during the Oman Information Technology Forum hosted by Omantel in Salalah recently.
It is noteworthy that Omantel already has SN1, a data center facility that was built in partnership with Equinix, in Salalah. Omantel also has another Equinix International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center MC1 with Equinix in Muscat, Oman’s capital city.
Oman’s data center market is poised for growth given its strategic location as well as government initiatives like Oman Vision 2040 which is the national reference for the economic and social planning of the Sultanate of Oman during the period 2040-2021.
At present, Equinix, Ooredoo, Oman Data Park, and Cloud Acropolis are some of the biggest players in Oman. According to Arizton Intelligence, the Oman data center market was valued at US$ 181 million in 2023, and is expected to reach US$ 326 million by 2029, growing at a Compounded Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.30 percent during the forecast period (2024-2029).
