The agreement calls for a comprehensive telecommunications network to be constructed for the Khazzan Gas Project located between the Dhahirah and Dakhliyah governorates and provides for a communications network spanning an area of 2800sq km.

Commenting on the scope of the Khazzan Gas Project Ahmed Mohammed al Nasri general manager of sales at Omantel Business noted 'Our partnership with BP highlights Omantel's deep experience in meeting the needs of clients in the oil and gas sector who are often located in very remote regions of Oman. Deploying our technical experience and expertise on this project means that BP Oman will be able to conduct instantaneous well monitoring while onsite staff will be reliably connected with high quality mobile and fixed solutions and Internet broadband.'

Omantel's project scope is to design deploy and maintain a comprehensive suite of telecommunication systems ensuring seamless voice and broadband connectivity to cover the populated Khazzan gas field catchment area. Once operational the network will be delivering the highest quality of fixed and mobile voice and high speed broadband solutions (LTE and GPON) for BP Oman and its contractors on site.

During the project startup phase telecommunication services will be initially supplied through a series of microwave links due to its high flexibly in providing connectivity without getting impacted by the massive project work on ground. This setup will then transition to a permanently installed fibre optic network in a self-healing rings topology with the microwave links retained as a system backup.

Nasri added 'The Khazzan field covers some 2800sq km which is a land area larger than an island like Zanzibar so the geographic reach of this project is very extensive. The Omantel Business team has been working closely with BP Oman to map out the communications solution needed to meet their exacting technical requirements as the Khazzan project takes shape. This partnership underlines our unique abilities to tackle projects of a challenging nature enabling our customers to remain connected locally and globally by providing the best-in-class communication services.'

The Khazzan gas field Block 61 is operated by BP Oman with 60 per cent shares in partnership with Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production holding 40 per cent. The development of the project involves a 15 year drilling programme for around 300 gas wells which will ultimately deliver a daily production capacity of one billion cubic feet of gas equal to around a third of Oman's total daily gas requirement.

Construction work on the Khazzan Project is already underway with the first supplies expected in late 2017.

Saif al Sawafi regional IT&S integration manager at BP Oman noted 'Geographically Oman has a challenging terrain which often makes it difficult for our teams who operate in remote areas to stay connected and communicate within the sultanate or indeed with our colleagues around the world. Omantel has a unique and unrivalled experience in designing and operating communications networks in remote areas and we are confident that the Khazzan Project will benefit immensely from this new partnership.'

Omantel is the sultanate's first and leading integrated telecommunications services provider enabling the digital society to flourish allowing new ways of doing business and delivering a world of information news and entertainment.