Dubai, UAE – Zain Omantel International (ZOI), the joint venture between Zain Group and Omantel, has earned four prestigious international awards – underscoring its position as a connectivity powerhouse in the regional and global wholesale telecom arena.
The Carrier Community Global Awards (CCGA) recognized ZOI for its unique model integrating terrestrial and subsea infrastructure across eight markets, awarding:
- “Best Data Connectivity Innovative Provider of the Year” – for advancing pan-regional connectivity with integrated subsea-terrestrial networks and high-capacity solutions for hyperscalers and carriers.
- “Best Subsea Cable Operator of the Year” – for its leadership in subsea investments, including strategic participation in G2A, AAE-1, and Oman Australia Cable.
- “Middle East Regional Connectivity Operator of the Year” – for delivering the only fully operator-owned pan-Middle East fibre network, with a continuous footprint linking the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea across key markets.
CCGA honours outstanding achievements in the telecom wholesale industry and its ecosystem of partners worldwide. Evaluated by a panel of global telecom experts from more than 100 companies and awarded organisations that demonstrated excellence in innovation, capacity, and connectivity solutions.
Furthermore, at the Global Brand Awards 2025, ZOI was named “Best New Telecom Connectivity Brand – Middle East”. The Global Brand Awards are presented by Global Brands Magazine, a UK-based publication that receives over 8 million annual views and is recognised for honouring excellence across branding, leadership, and innovation across various sectors worldwide.
Launched in May 2023, ZOI unites Zain Group’s regional scale and digital leadership with Omantel’s global infrastructure, combining over 20 international subsea cable systems with expansive terrestrial reach.
Sohail Qadir, CEO of ZOI commented, “These awards reflect ZOI’s unique role as a driver for innovation in local and global connectivity. We operate the region’s highest-ranked IP network, as measured by CAIDA, and continue to invest in both terrestrial and subsea cable infrastructure shaping how the Middle East connects with the world.”
Sohail Qadir concluded: “ZOI’s success is driven by our unmatched ability to connect key markets and global hubs through resilient international subsea and regional terrestrial infrastructure. We enable connectivity providers to execute seamless, high-performance strategies that drive socio-economic growth. In doing so, we reinforce the Middle East’s position as a global digital hub and accelerate how organizations connect, scale and innovate.” ENDS
About Zain Omantel International (ZOI)
Zain Omantel International (ZOI) is the Middle East’s premier wholesale powerhouse serving regional operators, international carriers, global hyperscalers and cloud providers seeking services within the region and beyond. The first-of-its-kind joint venture signifies a substantial advancement in the telecommunications industry and is positioned as the global powerhouse leveraging Zain’s regional scale and success in the retail and digital arenas, combined with Omantel’s exceptional wholesale capabilities and comprehensive international subsea and terrestrial networks. ZOI manages all international wholesale requirements of Zain and Omantel operations in eight countries, serving over 50 million customers.