Mobile operator Samatel has abandoned its operations in Oman, terminating mobile services in the Sultanate from 14 January 2017.
The MVNO was launched in 2010, but has now terminated its mobile services, advising customers to port their umber to another operator as soon as possible, the Times of Oman reports.
It launched on MVNE Effortel’s platform targeting untapped and underserved segments of the market, becoming the sixth MVNO to launch in Oman. In 2015, it acquired Oman’s first MVNO Renna Mobile, although it is unclear if the closure of Samatel will impact both brands.
"Samatel will bear the cost of porting the number to the requested operator, for all requests received to us before February 15, 2017, along with a refund of any previous balance on the SIM," Integrated Telecommunications Oman (SAOC), Samatel’s parent company, said.
An official of Samatel told the Times of Oman the Samatel mobile numbers will continue to function for one month. "Customers will get one month’s time to change to any other operator. We didn’t have many subscribers in Oman," said the official.