A novel to Communicate!
Oman Mobile recently launched Corporate Private Network for its NAMA post-paid connection with loads of benefits for customers at down-to-earth prices

Business communication in Oman is on the cusp of a big change, thanks to the launch of the state-of-the-art network infrastructure based on a mobile virtual private network (MVPN) – the first of its kind in the Middle East. Christened the corporate private network (CPN), this cost-effective business communication service has been introduced by Oman Mobile, the leading provider of mobile telecommunication services in Oman.

Says Mostafa Ahmed Kombor, Sales Manager, Oman Mobile, “through CPN, employees of a company can be connected to a single network with short codes or abbreviated numbers. Here, instead of dialling a colleague’s long public number, each member is assigned a four-digit number to make communication easier. Through these short codes, they can call each other and access voice, data and other value added services. Moreover, members can make unlimited number of free calls to other group members by paying only RO2.990 per member – a major cost-saver.”

Windfall for customers
CPN is a specialised service available for NAMA post-paid corporate subscribers, who currently enjoy tremendous discounts on their corporate subscriptions along with a customised pricing plan that meets individual communication needs and usage patterns, discounts on call rates and increased talk time. CPN’s advantage is enabling easier and cost-effective access by the workforce of a company to a full-fledged mobile telephony service. Basically it is a private number plan, with short codes that link a minimum of 10 or more people. This single link or workgroup has access to scores of services which Oman Mobile offers to its customers, such as international roaming with 313 operators in over 135 countries, web-enabled services, accessibility control by barring international and national calls, username and password protection, screening, managing users’ profile by removing or adding a number, grouping, attendance service, call waiting, credit ceiling, conferencing, among others.

While Oman Mobile has been offering a similar service – ‘Friends and Family’ – to individual customers for a long time, CPN is the larger version of such service that is available only to corporate customers with additional features. “Thus, the new CPN service extends to corporate houses the benefits that earlier accrued to individual customers only,” adds Mostafa.

First in the Middle East
In order to provide infrastructural support for CPN, Oman Mobile has tied up with the US-based company, ITS, that has a pan-Middle East presence. Many of the Middle East countries such as Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc., have similar service based on the closed user group (CUG) model that is only a part of MVPN solution. CPN, against this, is a full-fledged MVPN that offers more than a simple CUG.

“There’s a big need for CPN in this market,” says Mostafa, adding, “this has been proved by the initial response we have got after the launch of this service. After only two weeks of its launch, over 200 companies have shown keen interest to subscribe to this service.”

The bottomline is that competition has proved to be a boon for the telecom sector in Oman with the onset of new products and value added services. And the introduction of CPN is the latest one on the block. In the days to come, Oman’s telecom market will witness more novel products and services, taking the sector to newer heights.

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