Oman has cleared Huawei to supply equipment for 5G network deployments in the market.
The Chinese vendor is already a major provider of 4G network equipment in Oman, with two of the country’s three operators (Omantel and Ooredoo) now opting to use Huawei gear in their 5G rollouts.
Huawei’s role in 5G deployments has proven controversial, with the US pressuring its allies to shun the vendor’s equipment in their 5G network buildouts due to security concerns. While some European markets are limiting the applications of Huawei’s technology in response to this, few have chosen to avoid the vendor entirely.
Sulayem Alhakmani, the Omani Shura Council’s Head of the Economy Committee, said: “We don’t see any problem at all. We are an independent country and we will decide for ourselves what will serve us best.”
Omantel’s ice president of Enterprise Baha Al Lawati noted that: “there has not been any concrete evidence against Huawei. A lot of European operators have already chosen Huawei for their 5G rollout programmes. A lot of these operators around the world have Huawei active in their 4G networks.”
The TRA’s senior vice president for radio spectrum, Eng Yousuf Abdullah Al-Balushi, added: “Our telecoms legislation is very clear. Article 44 [explains the] legal conditions which must be followed by the operators. It is up to the operators to decide how they wish to set up their networks – which vendor they choose to buy their kit from is up to them.”
