With over 1,000 participants from some 200 telecom and technology firms across 70 countries, last week’s 11th Global Carrier Community Meeting (Middle East GCCM) brought together key international players to Oman. 

 

Co-hosted by Omantel, Oman’s leading telecommunications and ICT provider, and Zain Omantel International (ZOI), the Middle East premier wholesale telecom provider, the event took place at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Muscat.

 

This year’s ME GCCM highlighted the growing importance of Salalah, a key coastal city in the southern area of Oman, as a connectivity hub for the region, driven by Omantel’s investments in digital infrastructure and subsea cables as well as attracting foreign direct investment into the technology sector. 

 

SN1 Carrier-Neutral Data Centre

A key feature of the event was the newly launched SN1 Carrier-Neutral Data Centre, developed in partnership with Equinix, which strengthens Salalah’s role as a digital bridge connecting Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. The new centre will significantly reshape traffic flows, reducing latency and improving the resilience of global networks.

 

Over the past decade, Omantel has invested over $1 billion in international networks and data centers, successfully attracting global hyperscalers to establish their regional hubs in Oman. 

 

On the global level, the creation of the joint venture Zain Omantel International (ZOI) marks a significant step forward for the international business, creating a leading force in the wholesale telecom sector, delivering end-to-end connectivity solutions across the Middle East and beyond.

 

The event also featured masterclasses from Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provided insights into submarine cable technology, cloud computing and AI.--TradeArabia News Service