Niklas Nielsen, CEO of Majan Telecom, Oman, which owns the Renna brand has ambitious development plans. The telecom market in the Middle East has reached its maturity stage and is witnessing a shift from network-based competition to services-based competition, he opines. “As the only

100 per cent Omani owned mobile reseller company, we continuously invest to build human capacity and create career opportunities for highly-qualified Omani nationals. We hope to utilise the successful launch in Oman as a platform to expand further in the region and surrounding geographies,” Nielsen says in an exclusive interview to Oman Vistas.

Excerpts:
Renna has entered Oman, after OmanMobile and Nawras which are already established in the market. So what is Renna’svalue proposition?

renna was launched in May 2009 to become one of the first mobile reseller companies in Oman with a vision to become the best alternative communiNiklas

cations provider in the region. As a partner in the growth and development of the telecommunications industry in the Sultanate, we aim to generate value by creating a win-win situation for our host operator and customers alike focusing on providing clear, efficient and innovative services to the market. As an educator on the direct benefits of mobile telephony, renna brings a decade of executive level experience with an intimate understanding of the market coupled with best international practices in this field.

We view ourselves as enablers for people to ‘Share the Moment’ through mobile telephony. We are empowering people who value relationships and care about keeping in touch by providing instant quality connectivity and value.

As the only 100% Omani owned mobile reseller company, we continuously invest to build human capacity and create career opportunities for highly-qualified Omani nationals. We hope to utilize the successful launch in Oman as a platform to expand further in the region and surrounding geographies.

How will the customer benefit? Are you targeting first time customers or those who are already using the services of other mobile operators in the market?

The renna packages are designed to cater to the untapped and underserved segments in the market tailored to suit their personal needs by empowering them with the means to control their expenses in an original, easier, and efficient manner, all of which is evident in the renna price plans and features which include transparent and light tariffs in addition to attractive credit control services.

During our planning stages, we found that a majority of the mobile users are not 100% satisfied with their service providers. As we are targeting a focused segment than the existing full-service providers, we are therefore in a better position to meet our customers’ specific needs and requirements.

Our renna packages comprise two innovative price plans with no monthly or hidden fees:

• renna 6-6 is a classic peak/off-peak price plan that provides customers with an extra low tariff of 38bz al ready from 6pm which is very popular among those who make most calls during the evenings

• renna 24/7 is a “flat rate” price plan that offers the same low price day and night, and is designed to suit customers who make most calls during the day

We also focused on those who make frequent international calls by offering the choice of calling three international telephone numbers of choice at an exceptionally low rate as part of the price plans.

To us, simplicity and transparency are instrumental. Mobile prices are often complicated or contain a lot of ‘fine print’ which make unpleasant surprises unavoidable. We want to make it easy for our customers to understand the specific prices in the plans they have selected, and to be comfortable that they get what they pay for.

Is the Oman market mature enough for so many different service providers? How much market share do you expect to have at the end of the first year?

The telecom market in the Middle East has reached its maturity stage and is witnessing a shift from network-based competition to services-based competition, which is one where customers have a variety of choices amongst a wide range of packages and services offered by service providers. The MVNO phenomena is well known in other parts of the world as a business model that adds further value to the telecom market once a certain level of maturity and saturation has been reached as is the case in the Sultanate.

With the changes in the Omani telecom sector making a positive impact on the network operators and the society, consumers are to benefiting from the dynamic nature of the industry. Segments who have until now been un-catered for will suddenly find mobile offers focused directly on their needs and behavior leading to greater market penetration. Customers will be provided with a wider range of price plans and packages. At renna, we see ourselves as adding value to the mobile market in the Sultanate of Oman, to our host operator, and ultimately the customer by providing greater choice.

Do you see mergers of mobile companies happening in the coming future with the advent of newer players?

In my perspective, the telecommunications landscape in the Sultanate has now reached a stage of maturity and therefore the entrance of MVNO’s is a natural progression. The new changes in the industry will result in greater competition and will drive companies to take proactive measures to deliver products and services that meet the needs of the customers. I think we will see a period of consolidation in the coming years, as the big, regional telecom groups adjust their market presence and as some of the smaller players move closer together to benefit from synergies or volumes of scale.