Oman: The New Geography of Digital Investment

Bocar A. Ba CEO & Board Member SAMENA Council

H.E. Eng. Omar bin Hamdan Al Ismaili Executive President TRA Oman

Eng. Aladdin bin Abdullah Baitfadhil CEO Omantel

Dr. Cosmas Zavazava Director BDT ITU

Session Description & Focus

The opening keynotes establish the national and institutional context for the day through messages from the Organizer, Chief Patron, Host Sponsor, and Digital Innovation Board leadership. Together, these perspectives should frame Oman’s digital development direction, the role of infrastructure and technology in the country’s wider economic priorities, and the importance of coordinated participation by national institutions, industry, and international partners. In doing so, the opening should establish the direction of the conference without pre-empting the more specific investment, infrastructure, and sector discussions that follow.

Points to Consider

• Oman’s national direction for digital development and infrastructure.
• The relationship between technology, infrastructure, investment, and economic development.
• The roles of national institutions, industry, and international partners.
• Priorities that provide context for the discussions across the rest of the day.

Session Description & Focus

Before individual infrastructure and technology areas are examined, this session establishes the economic and national-development context in which they sit. Through special national presentations, the session should explain Oman’s economic direction, investment landscape, diversification priorities, and the conditions shaping participation by capital, technology companies, infrastructure players, and institutions. The emphasis should be on what distinguishes Oman, where digital and technology development connects with wider national priorities, and which areas require stronger coordination, investment, or partnership.

Focus Questions

• Oman’s economic direction and the role of digital and technology development within national priorities.
• The characteristics of Oman’s investment landscape and the areas attracting greater institutional and commercial attention.
• How digital infrastructure can support diversification and measurable economic activity inside Oman.
• Where international capital, technology, and infrastructure partners can participate meaningfully.
• Dependencies affecting investment readiness, including project maturity, regulation, energy, talent, demand, and institutional coordination.
• How Oman can present a coherent development and investment landscape while retaining its own national priorities.

Eng. Yasser Redha Al Lawati Director, Business Operations & Investments ZOI

Session Description & Focus

This special business presentation provides the bridge from Oman’s national economic context into the infrastructure discussions that follow. Using ZOI as a relevant industry example, it should examine how telecom businesses are extending beyond traditional connectivity into broader digital infrastructure roles spanning international networks, subsea and terrestrial connectivity, data centers, cloud-related infrastructure, enterprise requirements, and regional service delivery. The focus is on what this evolution means commercially and operationally, how integrated infrastructure models can support wider regional connectivity and digital growth, and how these assets can serve carriers, cloud and digital platform companies, enterprises, and public-sector organizations.

Points to Consider

• The evolution from telecom connectivity toward integrated digital infrastructure.
• How subsea, terrestrial, data center, cloud, and enterprise infrastructure can be brought together.
• The commercial and partnership logic behind broader infrastructure models.
• The role of regional scale, international connectivity, and infrastructure integration in serving carriers, enterprises, and digital platforms.

Moderator

Bronius Skudutis CEO Mediafon

Eng. Salim Bader Al Mazrui VP Technology & Operations ZOI

Dr. Ali Said Al Hashmi VP, Network Infrastructure Omantel

Fayez Abu Awad Policy Director, MENA GSMA

Jack Sienkiewicz Chief Revenue Officer Otech

Session Description & Focus

Submarine connectivity creates greater economic value when the broader digital infrastructure around it develops as well. This panel will examine how cable landing stations, carrier-neutral interconnection, data centers, cloud and compute infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise technology and digital services demand, energy and sustainability requirements, and integrated digital corridors can work together to turn international connectivity into investment and economic activity inside Oman. The discussion may focus on how connectivity, compute, security, sustainability, and commercial demand increasingly need to be considered as part of one infrastructure environment. It may also examine the policy, investment, partnership, and operational conditions required for Oman, and the region, to capture greater value from the data, traffic, infrastructure, and international routes passing through the country.

Focus Questions

• What must exist around cable landing infrastructure for Oman to capture more value from international data traffic?
• How do data centers, cloud platforms, interconnection, and enterprise demand change the economics of submarine connectivity?
• Which adjacent areas offer the strongest potential for investment and service development inside Oman?
• What are the main constraints: power, land, permitting, regulation, demand, interconnection depth, or partner availability?
• What types of anchor customers, technology partners, or investors are needed to support the next layer of infrastructure development?
• How should Oman position its integrated digital corridors relative to competing regional routes and hubs?
• What specific decisions would most improve Oman’s attractiveness to carriers, cloud companies, data center players, and other digital infrastructure investors?

Izhar Ahmad Director Industry Affairs SAMENA Council

Eng. Yasser Redha Al Lawati Director, Business Operations & Investments ZOI

Andrew Hanna CEO ZainTech

Victoria Evdokimova Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Yango Group

Saif al Abri GM Corporate Strategy and Investment Omantel

Same Gafurov Deputy General Director for International Affairs Electron Pulsar

Robbin Lou Deputy Director of Industrial Development Department WAA

Session Description & Focus

The closed-door AXIS Flagship Roundtable provides a more direct setting for invited stakeholders to discuss Oman’s digital investment gateway and the practical issues that can determine whether interest develops into partnerships, projects, and follow-up activity. The discussion should allow institutions, infrastructure players, technology companies, investors, and strategic partners to test priorities, identify constraints, and examine areas where closer coordination can support commercially relevant opportunities. Its value lies in interaction and practical exchange rather than repeating the public-stage discussions.

Focus Questions

• Which areas of Oman’s digital development are most ready for serious partnership or project-level engagement?
• What information or conditions do investors and technology partners need before moving from interest to action?
• Where are the principal dependencies around demand, regulation, land, energy, connectivity, incentives, or anchor customers?
• Which opportunities have primarily national value, and which have a stronger regional-growth dimension?
• Where can institutional coordination materially improve project readiness or partner confidence?
• What practical follow-up should emerge from the roundtable after AXIS?

Moderator

Marta Arsovska Tomovska Advisor to the President National Parliament, Serbia

Hamed Al Shukaili Director of the Space Program Projects Department MTCIT Oman

Saqer Said Al Rusheidi Co-founder & Managing Director Stellar Kinetics

Yousuf Al Azizi GM Network Infrastructure and Planning Omantel

Session Description & Focus

The SAT Panel examines space and satellite as part of a broader connectivity and digital infrastructure ecosystem extending across terrestrial networks, launch and ground infrastructure, data services, enterprise requirements, and downstream applications. Satellite capabilities can complement existing networks while supporting maritime, logistics, energy, remote locations, emergency communications, government services, and other areas where wider coverage, additional capacity, or specialized services are required.

The discussion may focus on how Oman can integrate space and satellite capabilities into its broader digital infrastructure and economic priorities, where commercially relevant opportunities can develop, and what roles government, national infrastructure providers, local companies, and international partners should play. It may also examine the regulatory, investment, partnership, skills, and market conditions required to create demand and develop sustainable activity around these capabilities.

Focus Questions

• How should space and satellite capabilities fit within Oman’s wider digital infrastructure and connectivity priorities?
• Where can satellite and terrestrial networks complement each other most effectively across national, enterprise, and sector requirements?
• Which areas offer the strongest commercial opportunities for Oman across connectivity, infrastructure, data services, and applications?
• What infrastructure, spectrum, regulatory, and investment conditions are needed to support wider market development?
• Where is there already meaningful demand from sectors such as maritime, logistics, energy, government, and enterprise, and where does demand still need to be developed?
• Which capabilities should Oman build locally, and where are international technology, investment, and specialist partnerships more appropriate?
• How can national infrastructure providers help connect satellite capabilities with existing networks, cloud, enterprise services, and customer demand?
• What would make Oman more attractive to companies looking to invest, partner, test, launch, or develop space- and satellite-related services from the country?

Moderator

Bocar A. Ba CEO & Board Member SAMENA Council

Eng. Aladdin bin Abdullah Baitfadhil CEO Omantel

Andrew Hanna CEO ZainTech

Session Description & Focus

The CEO Dialogue will examine how Oman’s digital infrastructure and technology capabilities should develop as AI, cloud, data-intensive services, and changing enterprise requirements place greater demands on networks, computing, security, and digital platforms.

The discussion will focus on what is changing, what Oman and its enterprises will need, which capabilities should be built locally, where partnerships matter, how investment can be matched with demand, and how national companies can help convert infrastructure and technology development into greater economic and regional value.

Focus Questions

• What is changing most significantly in the digital infrastructure and technology requirements created by AI, cloud, and data-intensive services?
• What capabilities will Oman need to strengthen next across connectivity, compute, cloud, cybersecurity, digital platforms, and enterprise technology?
• Which capabilities should Oman develop locally, and where will regional or international partnerships remain essential?
• What are enterprises increasingly expecting from national infrastructure and technology providers, and where are the main gaps between infrastructure availability and actual business adoption?
• How should major companies balance long-term infrastructure investment with commercial demand, capital discipline, and the risk of unnecessary duplication?
• Where can collaboration between national companies, technology providers, investors, and other ecosystem partners create the greatest value?
• How can Oman convert its infrastructure, technology capabilities, and strategic partnerships into stronger regional market access, investment attraction, and economic value?

Moderator

Elizabeth Migwalla Vice President International Government Affairs Qualcomm

Fatma Sultan Bahwan Chief Commercial Officer Aljabr

Ahmed Tarawneh Consultant MEAI Opensignal

Najd Raiisi Senior Consultant - Climate Change Sustainability Excellence

Faisal Ali Said Al Maharbi Senior Manager Infrastructure Design Omantel

Session Description & Focus

This session brings together the growing demand for compute, connectivity, and digital infrastructure with the energy systems required to support them. Data centers, AI and cloud infrastructure, telecom networks, and other digital platforms increasingly depend on reliable, commercially viable, and energy-efficient infrastructure.

The discussion may examine how Oman should develop national compute and digital infrastructure while accounting for power availability, renewable- energy potential, network performance, actual user and enterprise demand, investment economics, and infrastructure utilization. It may also consider how better measurement of network experience and demand can guide where capacity is needed, where investment should be prioritized, and whether infrastructure development is translating into stronger service quality and commercial value. The panel may further consider how technology companies, telecom providers, investors, startups, and infrastructure players can help create demand around these investments, and whether a Muscat Framework can provide a useful basis for aligning digital infrastructure, energy, investment, and sustainability priorities.

Focus Questions

• What level and type of compute, network, and digital infrastructure will Oman require as AI, cloud, enterprise, and user demand continue to grow?
• How should Oman determine what compute capacity should be developed locally, regionally, through partnerships, or accessed through external platforms?
• How do power availability, cost, renewable-energy potential, network performance, and expected utilization affect the commercial case for data centers and compute infrastructure?
• What does real-world network experience tell us about where infrastructure demand is increasing, where performance gaps remain, and where further investment is most justified?
• How can network and user-experience data help operators, investors, and policymakers distinguish between infrastructure that is needed and infrastructure that may remain underutilized?
• How can telecom networks, data centers, cloud infrastructure, and compute platforms be planned more effectively alongside energy infrastructure?
• What role can greater efficiency in compute, networks, and infrastructure design play in reducing cost and power requirements while improving service quality?
• How can startups, enterprises, technology providers, and investors help create commercial demand around national infrastructure investment?
• What practical elements could form a Muscat Framework for Cross- Infrastructure Sustainability?