Omantel launches IPTV service
January 27, 2016
Omani telco Omantel is launching Omantel TV+, describing it as a unique TV broadcast Home service based on Internet Protocol using Home Internet. The new Omantel TV+ service will enable subscribers to watch news, sports, entertainment and the latest movies, with 450+ popular TV channels, 1100+ movies and 3500+ TV series. In addition, they will enjoy watching 3D and HD channels with the ability to record and rewind what they are watching.
Talal Al Mamari, CEO of Omantel said: “We are excited to introduce Omantel TV+ to our Home customers, where they can enjoy for the first time in Oman watching their favourite TV channels through our Home Internet service. Enabling digital smart home services is part of our broader digital strategy, a key area of growth in the years ahead. Our new strategy goes beyond the rollout of Omantel TV+ across Oman, and indeed touches every aspect of our operational approach, both for retail consumers and corporate clients. We aim to be the nation’s digital partner of choice, helping to bridge the digital divide across all sectors of society and pioneering the rollout of the digital home eco-system.”
Subscribers of OmantelTV+ will receive a decoder which allow them in addition to watching premium and free to air channels and movies to easily record their favourite shows and movies for future playback. In addition to the pause and rewind function which allow them to have full control, simultaneous watch and record features are also included, and subscribers are able to browse other channels while watching their favourite channel, and search easily for their favourite shows.
“We’re expecting OmantelTV+ to be extremely popular with our customers, and our subscription packages offer the best selection of news, sports, entertainment and the latest movies, with more than 450 popular TV channels from around the world, including premium ones such as BeIN, OSN, MSN, Nat Geo, Fox, MBC and Al Jazeera through our selected areas (Al-Mouj, Muscat Hills, Al-Maebella and Al-Khoud) in addition to more than 1100 movies and 3500 series. With that we can proudly say Omantel TV+ is your one-stop entertainment choice,” commented Haitham Al Kharusi – VP Business Consumer Unit.
“Initially, Omantel TV+ is available in the areas which already have fibre-optic coverage; during this phase we will be able to obtain customer feedback and fine-tune the service in order to provide the best viewing experience for all customers in the near future,” he explained, adding that there is currently no regulation in the country for TV content via the Internet and the telco hoped that such regulation would be introduced in the near future as it expanded the service to cover more areas.
In October 2015, the company entered into a partnership agreement with the UAE telecommunications operator du, to provide its award-winning Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service platform in the Sultanate. The launch of Omantel TV+ comes as the company implements the transformative Omantel 3.0 strategy, which is based on digital smart home and innovative business services which will be introduced starting from 2016.