PRESS RELEASE: In February 2023, Omantel and Huawei jointly deployed the world’s first commercial RuralLink solution in Muscat, Oman. This solution adopts microwave fronthaul, and extends the coverage of existing macro base stations to 20 km, enabling quick coverage for remote areas.

In rural areas of Oman, the population is sparsely distributed and the distances between villages are large. Due to long deployment periods and limited investment efficiency, conventional macro base stations cannot fulfill the rural coverage requirements. To address these issues, Omantel adopted Huawei’s latest RuralLink solution to increase the range of RF signals based on unique microwave fronthaul capabilities, which eliminates the need for optical fibers and reduces network construction costs. By co-using BBUs with existing macro sites, RuralLink also reduces site power consumption as BBU deployment is no longer a must. The solution features a simplified design that enables all devices to be mounted on to a pole, and its site deployment does not require fencing or concrete construction, eliminating the need for equipment rooms. As such, site construction becomes simple as it can be completed in just one day while reducing the TCO up to 60%, compared with conventional macro base stations.

Adhering to the principle of customer-centered development, Huawei continues to make breakthroughs in simplified solutions that help operators quickly provide ubiquitous services. The innovative RuralLink solution won GSMA GLOMO’s “Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets” award at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023, representing the industry’s recognition of Huawei’s continuous innovation. “This solution combines multiple technologies in a very intelligent architecture optimized for cost, allowing the service to penetrate deep into unserved rural areas, changing the lives of those people that need it,” remarked one of the judges of the award.

Speaking on the deployment of RuralLink in Oman, a representative for Omantel remarked that after the deployment of RuralLink, testing demonstrated that the coverage and throughput were significantly improved, reaching up to 77 Mbps in the downlink and 27 Mbps in the uplink. The representative also added that voice services are being provided through VoLTE as the site is currently running on LTE only. The representative concluded by offering many thanks to Huawei for its achievements and commitment to helping Omantel find a place at the cutting edge of advanced technologies.