Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 09 | Page 12

NEWS OMAN Bahraini delegation explores eTendering system With the aim of exchanging knowledge in the electronic tendering, a Bahraini delegate visited the Sultanate earlier this summer, chaired by H.E. Huyam Mohammed Ismail Al-Awadhi, Secretary General of the Tender Board at the kingdom of Bahrain. with venders and SMEs and the services and facilitations offered to them during the tendering, awarding and implementation of projects with ITA. Then, the delegate also was briefed on the key projects in implementing e.oman strategy and eGovernment. During the visit, the Bahraini delegate was familiarised with the eTendering project, the first of its kind in the Sultanate, and its importance in regulating, automating and facilitating the procurement and tendering process On this occasion, H.E Huyam Mohammed Ismail Al-Awadhi, Secretary General of the Tender Board in the Kingdom of Bahrain, said: “Our visit to Oman serves the cooperation between the GCC countries in the field of ICT in general and between Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain in particular and to benefit from Oman’s unprecedented experience in the automation of tendering process. We heard excessively about Oman’s experience in eTendering and that what encouraged us to visit Oman. In our part, we’ll transfer the Bahrain’s experience to the Omanis in the best interest of both countries in the field of the provision of easy and reliable eServices which can help in improving various fields especially commerce and economy sectors.” Ooredoo Oman partners with Ericsson Ooredoo Oman says it is poised to begin trialling a new technology with Swedish vendor Ericsson to address the anticipated surge in consumer demand for data services. With support from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the pair will test ‘Microwave Solutions in E-Band (80GHz)’ technology, or microwave backhauling, across Ooredoo Oman’s recently completed nationwide fibre backbone network. ‘Ooredoo is constantly responding to changes in customer needs and providing them with the products, services and offers they want, through both mobile and fixed offerings,’ commented the operator’s Chief Technology Officer Wolfgang Wemhoff, adding: ‘Our partnership with Ericsson on this regionally important ground-breaking project will allow us to pioneer new methods and deliver exciting new possibilities to meet the fast-evolving needs of our current and future 12 INTELLIGENTCIO customers and businesses in all sectors across the Sultanate of Oman.’ Ericsson said it expects microwave backhaul to experience major growth and represent up to 20% of new deployments in 2020. www.intelligentcio.com