MENA TechOman to expand submarine cable landings to 31 by 2030 and build satellite facilities
Contracts are signed or in force for 12 additional subsea cables in Oman to reach 31 systems by 2030, alongside expanding domestic data centres and satellite infrastructure.
MENA TechIn brief: Oman submarine cable systems are set to rise from 19 to 31 by 2030 under 12 signed or in-force contracts, Zain Omantel International Chief Executive Officer Sohail Qadir announced at the November 2026 Global Carrier Community Meeting in Muscat, alongside new satellite and artificial intelligence agreements between Oman Lens and China's Star Vision Aerospace.
The number of Oman submarine cable systems is expected to rise from 19 to 31 by 2030, alongside new cooperation agreements to build domestic satellite and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Sohail Qadir, Chief Executive Officer of Zain Omantel International (ZOI), outlined the subsea expansion during the Middle East 2026 Global Carrier Community Meeting (GCCM) in Muscat from 1 to 4 November, while Omani satellite and artificial intelligence company Oman Lens signed two cooperation agreements with China's Star Vision Aerospace.
Submarine cables and data centre capacity
Speaking at the GCCM gala dinner hosted by Omantel at the Royal Opera House Muscat, Qadir said contracts are signed or already in force for all 12 additional systems. The figures distinguish Oman's 19 existing landings from its contracted pipeline, for which no system-by-system delivery schedule was provided. ZOI is a wholesale joint venture between Omantel and Kuwait's Zain Group. Separately from domestic landings, Omantel has invested in more than 20 subsea cables, including the direct Oman Australia Cable.
Qadir added that domestic demand for digital infrastructure has outgrown existing capacity. Equinix data centres in Barka and Salalah are full, while Oman Data Park is expanding its facilities. New sites under construction include a 10 MW data centre in Salalah and another facility in Muscat, though the announcement did not specify how future cables will connect with those sites or allocate capacity.
Organised by Berlin-based Carrier Community, founded in 2008, the 13th GCCM summit gathered wholesale carriers and operators from 60 countries at the St Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort. Chief Moderator Erik van Stokkom said the group chose Muscat over Dubai for its location and people, adding: "Because of its geographical position, Oman will play a very strategic and central role in global connectivity. We believe Oman is positioned to become a very important hub to the world." Omani racing driver Ahmad al Harthy also spoke, describing a GT3 car as "a moving cell tower" backed by a pit-lane data centre.
Satellite partnerships and space programme
Oman Lens and Star Vision Aerospace also signed two cooperation agreements expanding a partnership that began in 2023 and delivered the OL-1 satellite launch in 2024, a ground station, and image analysis applications. The first agreement establishes a five-year programme to sponsor 30 Omanis for master's and doctoral studies in China, train 1,000 specialists in space sciences and advanced technologies, and open a joint Space AI Laboratory.
The second agreement covers two-phase satellite development, launch and operation, starting with seven satellites and a potential second constellation based on initial outcomes. It includes establishing an assembly, integration and testing (AIT) centre in Oman to support technology transfer, engineer training and local manufacturing across Earth observation, maritime surveillance, natural resource management, environmental monitoring and urban planning.
Under Royal Decree 90/2020, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology holds a mandate for the Omani space sector. Its executive programme offers government incentives across six foreign investment projects: a space-based cloud and edge analytics ecosystem; an equatorial Ground Stations as a Service (GSaS) hub linked to subsea cables; a Direct Receiving Station (DRS) for Earth observation; a National Satellite Data Platform; an End-user Applications Booster Program sandbox; and a scientific rocket launch project.
Why it matters for the region
Qadir said the subsea expansion would make Oman the region's most connected country, while the ministry targets a regional space gateway and the first Middle East and Africa regional spaceport. At a GCCM panel featuring Mohammed al Badi of Space Communications Technologies, Maxim Akinin of Russia's Rostelecom, Bilal Qazi of Satmena and Abdulaziz al Jasmi of the UAE's e&, panellists said combining geostationary, medium Earth orbit and low Earth orbit satellites could deliver continuous coverage and upgrade remote Omani sites from 2G to 4G and 5G, though data sovereignty and cross-border licensing remain challenges.
Sources: Developing Telecoms, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, TradingView, SubTel Forum
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