POWERED BY DATA

Noor Al Sulaiti, CEO of Ooredoo Oman, is the youngest and first female chief in the telecom provider’s history. A transformation aficionado, since taking the role in 2021, she’s embarked on an ambitious vision towards being a digitally-led, data-powered, and customer-centric telecom company.

BY JAMILA GANDHI

The emergence of the global pandemic in 2020 may have demonstrated the strength and resilience of telecom networks as they withstood the sudden surge in usage, but it was also a catalyst for diversification. Changing demands from users heavily affected MENA operators’ core businesses, with mobile roaming and equipment sales declining significantly. And three years later, while the demand for connectivity has retained momentum, customers expect better prices, and infrastructure rollout has become expensive. “How do you retain existing customers? How do you create more value from your customer base? And how do you get new customers? These are the challenges for any business, especially telecom,” says Noor Al Sulaiti, CEO of Ooredoo Oman. “The competitive advantage is harnessing the power of data and data analytics.”

In August 2022, Ooredoo broke ground on the construction of its three new data centers in Oman, in Barka, Salalah, and Sohar, to support local businesses and communities by offering cloud storage, data recovery, and cyber security options. The sites in Salalah and Barka are estimated to be operational by mid-2023, and will also provide cable landing facilities to “2Africa” (2AF), the longest subsea cable system ever deployed. With a submarine cable spanning 45,000 km, Ooredoo is among a global consortium of communication operators connecting 2AF’s 33 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. “This has generated huge interest from hyper-scalers,” says Al Sulaiti. “We’re working with the likes of Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook, which will give us an edge moving forward.”

Ooredoo Oman is part of the Ooredoo Group and has been registered in Oman since December 2004. The private Omani operator was originally operating under the name “Nawras,” and from

March 2014, as “Ooredoo.” An integrated services communications operator, the company was serving over three million customers across Oman as of January 2023.

Al Sulaiti was appointed CEO at a pivotal point in history. She joined Ooredoo Oman one year into the global pandemic in May 2021, at the same time becoming the company’s youngest and firstever female CEO. “The telecom market was facing challenging times with competition in the market,” explains the 39-year-old Qatari. “I came into this challenging market and my first task was stabilizing it.” As borders were closed due to the pandemic, the company leveraged its data analytic capabilities to boost customer value management and focus on local talent to navigate somewhat turbulent times in the industry. In 2021, Ooredoo Oman recorded revenues of $638.6 million.

Across the GCC, demand has surged for data center investments driven by smart cities, 5G and its applications, and the adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud-based services. In 2022, users in Oman spent over 97% of their time connected to either 3G, 4G, or 5G, according to data by Opensignal. While 5G remains at a nascent stage at the regional level, operators in the GCC are projected to be among the global leaders in 5G. GSMA estimates 49% 5G adoption by GCC states by 2025, eclipsing the global average of 25%.

Under Oman’s Vision 2040, digital transformation is expected to boost the country’s ICT market to $6.69 billion by 2026, as per GlobalData findings. Oman reportedly reduced the cost of land to facilitate investment into the country’s data centers in a bid to promote national investment. According to Arizton Advisory and Intelligence, Oman’s data center market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 11.42% up to 2027.

For Al Sulaiti, aligning and developing this infrastructure is also key to staying ahead of the curve and meeting the evolving digital requirements of customers. In May 2022, Ooredoo partnered with Huawei to offer B2B customers smart, innovative solutions powered by Cloud Campus, focusing on retail, education, hospitality, and healthcare sectors in Oman. In September 2022, it signed an MoU with Dell Technologies to facilitate opportunities around cloudbased services, 5G, and edge computing solutions. “Over the last few years, Ooredoo has evolved significantly from a telecom provider to one of Oman’s leading ICT service providers, and we continue to enhance and transform our ICT capabilities in line with our customers’ increasingly sophisticated needs,” said Saied Al Lawati, Director of Business Marketing and ICT Solutions at Ooredoo in a statement.

Locally, Ooredoo Oman has long-faced competition from only one other mobile network operator; state-owned Omantel. The sovereign telecom provider leads as a major player in the country, holding a mobile market share of 47.5% and a fixed telephone market share of 70% as of September, 2022. The duopoly model was shaken with the emergence of Vodafone Oman in January 2021, when it received a license to become the country’s third mobile operator.

Enabling new revenue streams is now a priority for Ooredoo Oman to strengthen it against economic fluctuations or a further new entrant to the market. “Globally, we’ve seen mobile operators feel the crunch; the margins we used to enjoy a decade ago have shrunk dramatically,” says Al Sulaiti. “It’s critical to think: what are the key pillars to not just sustain our investments, but also to diversify and create new revenue streams?” Research by GSMA found that telecom consumer services represent the largest revenue contributor in MENA, but enterprise is the main growth driver as operators increasingly target the digital transformation of vertical industries. Ooredoo Oman is also focusing on building more robust analytics engines to deliver the value that the business requires.

The telecom operator’s first female chief has a record of redefining the norm. She graduated from the University of Qatar with a computer science degree at just 19 years old, with 18 months of work experience. “While at university, I was poached by Qtel in Qatar—the former name of what is Ooredoo today—and was offered a technical-commercial job,” she recalls. “Despite not being the developer role that I thought would jumpstart my career, I took the leap to try experiencing product development.”

She has since spent 19 years in the industry, tasked with transforming different assets across the U.K., Singapore, Indonesia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. “A transformation project is a challenge every time, and you need to be both crazy to accept it and trust your gut while doing it, which is my standard mode of operation,” shares Al Sulaiti. In her last stint as CEO of Starlink, one of the Ooredoo Group’s subsidiaries in Qatar, she rebranded and expanded the portfolio and capability of the company to compete in e-commerce, retail, and ICT. She previously held senior leadership positions in Phono and FASTtelco in Kuwait. Al Sulaiti also holds an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Plymouth, U.K.

Given her age and gender, the CEO is hyper-aware of the traditional leadership mold she is breaking. “The old command and control style is long gone,” she says. “Today, it’s about creating leaders, empowering the youth, and enabling them to run. Today’s consumers are younger, tech-native, and need people closer to them in age.” This cognizant approach is echoed by Laila Al Hadhrami, Smart Cities Development Manager at Oman NEC (the National Energy Center). “Leaders play a crucial role in driving innovation and digital transformation in any organization,” notes Al Hadhrami. “But implementing a creative and empowering work culture must be the priority, as technology alone can be met with resistance.”

The CEO’s role of smashing the glass ceiling transcends her work. Al Sulaiti is a certified sailor, a sport she first picked up as a child from her grandfather. She enjoys teaching friends and giving them their first experience. “Like telecom, sailing is male-dominated,” she speaks candidly. “When I teach women the fundamentals of the wind, the sea, the boats, give them the helm, and they realize it is actually not that tough, it is a priceless moment of joy.”

Buoyed by her successful track record of transformation projects, the business leader seems well-positioned to navigate any murky waters of competition. “Our long-term strategy is still centered on Oman’s digital transformation; it’s never about ensuring stability at sea,” she says. “It’s about how quickly we can react and innovate; this is what is important to us.”