Omani mobile operator Samatel announces termination of services

Omani mobile virtual net operator (MVNO) Samatel has reportedly announced its exit from the country’s mobile services market due to a lack of subscribers.

Times of Oman reports that the company has asked customers wishing to keep their Samatel number to switch to an operator of their choice by filing a request at its office in Muscat.

The operator said it would bear the cost of all request before February 15 and refund any existing SIM Balance.

“Customers will get one month’s time to change to any other operator. We didn’t have many subscribers in Oman,” an official was quoted as saying.

Samatel launched services for residential and business customers in August 2010 using the network of Ooredoo Oman and won a Class I telecoms licence to provide international telecoms services the next year.

It announced plans to re-launch its MVNO services in 2015 under the name Integrated Telecommunications Oman (TeO) and later acquired the country’s first MVNO, Renna Mobile, in June last year.

It was unclear whether the termination of services applied to both brands or Samatel only.

At the time of the June acquisition, Renna had more than 500,000 subscribers.