Oman's government delayed privatization of Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) till the improvement of situation in the telecom, Oman Observer reported.
The Minister of National Economy and Supervisor of the Ministry of Finance Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki was quoted by the paper as saying "following the major international telecommunication mergers, the consultants of Omantel advised us to postpone the privatization process till March 2001."
International investment climate for the telecommunication sector underwent a sea change due to these mega telecom mergers, he said.
Macki added that the government is in the process of setting up a telecommunication regulatory authority to monitor the sector, especially when the private companies will be controlling the industry.
According to Macki, the government will issue a Telecommunication Law for this purpose. In order to speed up the privatisation process, Omantel is currently undergoing a major restructuring process, especially the company's human resources -- Albawaba.com
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