Muscat, Oman – October 13, 2026: The SAMENA Telecommunications Council Leaders’ AXIS 2026 concluded in Muscat today, bringing together Omani and international stakeholders to examine how the Sultanate can create greater economic and commercial value from its digital infrastructure, international connectivity, technology capabilities, innovation activity, and investment opportunities.
Held under the theme “Oman: The New Geography of Digital Investment,” Leaders’ AXIS 2026 was convened with the Chief Patronage of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Oman, with Omantel as Host Sponsor. Leaders’ AXIS 2026 took place in Muscat immediately following the Fourth Meeting of the ITU Digital Innovation Board, creating a natural continuation of high-level digital-development discussions in the city. Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, also addressed the opening of AXIS, bringing an international perspective into a conference focused directly on Oman’s infrastructure, investment, market development, and innovation ecosystem.
Against that wider context, AXIS brought the discussion firmly into the Omani market. The conference focused on how infrastructure development, international participation, technology capability, enterprise demand, local innovation, and investment can translate into stronger commercial activity and greater economic value within the Sultanate. Across the day, discussions connected Oman’s economic and investment priorities with submarine and terrestrial connectivity, cable landing infrastructure, data centers, cloud and computing, enterprise technology, space and satellite capabilities, energy requirements, and the commercial demand needed to support further investment.
A central question throughout the AXIS conference was how Oman can capture a greater share of the value associated with the infrastructure, data flows, technologies, and international connectivity developing within and around the country. This included opportunities for Omani companies, stronger local capabilities, new commercial relationships, and deeper participation by international companies seeking to establish or expand their activities in Oman.
Opening perspectives from the SAMENA Council, TRA Oman, Omantel, and the ITU established the national, industry, and international context for the day. This was followed by a dedicated focus on Oman’s economic direction, investment landscape, and national development priorities. Leading Omani institutions and government bodies including OPAZ, Oman Investment Authority, and InvestOman contributed insights on Oman's economic direction, investment landscape, and national development priorities.
Infrastructure discussions examined how Oman can build greater economic activity around its international connectivity through landing infrastructure, interconnection, data centers, cloud and computing, cybersecurity, energy, enterprise demand, and integrated digital corridors. A parallel closed-door AXIS Flagship Roundtable provided invited stakeholders with a more direct setting to discuss Oman’s digital investment environment, project readiness, commercial opportunities, and areas for further engagement.
The conference also examined Oman’s space and satellite opportunity, extending the discussion from connectivity into ground infrastructure, data services, downstream applications, research, skills, and national capability development. The discussion considered where technology development, national expertise, and international partnerships can support commercially relevant activity within Oman.
The CEO Dialogue addressed the changing infrastructure and enterprise requirements created by AI, cloud, and data-intensive services, including what capabilities Oman should strengthen locally, where partnerships remain important, and how infrastructure investment can be matched with actual demand.
As Host Sponsor, Omantel participated across several areas of the conference, reflecting its role in Oman’s national connectivity, international infrastructure, digital services, technology development, and regional activity. This also reflected a wider local-market objective of AXIS: ensuring that infrastructure development contributes to opportunities for Omani businesses, technology companies, investors, and the national economy.
Bocar A. Ba, CEO of the SAMENA Telecommunications Council, said:
“Leaders’ AXIS brought together different parts of Oman’s digital investment environment around one focus area: Creating enhanced value inside the Sultanate. International connectivity, infrastructure, local capability, innovation, enterprise demand, and investment all have a role to play. Muscat gave national and international stakeholders the opportunity to consider these areas together and identify where stronger cooperation, commercial activity, and investment can follow. For the SAMENA Council, our AXIS conference, hosted by Omantel, is a work in progress to help contribute to Oman’s investment and digital infrastructure development dialogue.”
The conference reinforced Oman’s position as a market where international connectivity, national infrastructure, computing, technology development, space capabilities, energy, and local innovation can support investment, business development, and wider economic activity.
Through Leaders’ AXIS 2026, the SAMENA Council and Omantel sought to strengthen direct engagement between Omani stakeholders and international companies while giving greater visibility to opportunities within the Sultanate. The broader objective is to help convert Oman’s strengths in connectivity, infrastructure, technology, energy, and geography into stronger local capability, commercial opportunity, investment, and economic activity.
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Source: Press Release
