Telecommunications and digital services are how we stay in touch, and Ooredoo Maldives is connecting the islands with its high-speed services and IT infrastructure.
THE HOT TROPIC OF TELECOMS
Founded in 1987, initially as a telephone exchange company headquartered in Qatar, Ooredoo Group is a multinational telecommunications company operating in 10 countries.
Ooredoo Maldives (Ooredoo) was launched in 2005, to digitally link businesses, locals, and tourists alike in the archipelagic nation, offering a crystal-clear connection alongside the equally pristine waters of the Indian Ocean.
The infrastructure needed to reach the inhabited and resort areas of the islands is an immense project, and a challenge that mobile operator Ooredoo has risen to. Within less than a decade it has revolutionised the telecommunications industry in the Maldives.
Ooredoo’s 400 employees are integral to its growth and success, and with this in mind it is preparing to deploy staff to all the islands. The company sees its staff as its greatest asset, and this is apparent by the amount it invests in them, with in-house training, and online courses, along with sending employees to seminars.
THE FUTURE IS 5G
To celebrate 17 years of operations in the Maldives this year, Ooredoo introduced 5G to the central islands – the Greater Malé region to be precise. As well as linking fibre optics to all the islands, the company is continuously working on expanding 5G network coverage to the whole of the Maldives.
Along with 5G coverage, Ooredoo marked another first with the introduction of 5G AirFibre in 2020. As another example of the company providing the latest technology to enable new opportunities, AirFibre uses both wireless and direct cable connection technology to deliver the fastest available broadband services.
Among its many achievements, Ooredoo made history by launching the first ever and fastest 3G and 4G networks in the Maldives. The archipelagic nation may be the smallest country in Asia, but Ooredoo has big plans for the future of technology and communications for its inhabitants, targeting 100 percent coverage in the Maldives.
TAKING RESORTS DIGITAL
As a digital platform designed exclusively for the tourism industry, Digital Resorts by Ooredoo Business is a cloud-based solution that integrates seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure. Helping resorts transform into a digital environment, the app uses a single window to engage with guests before, during and after their stay. By giving visitors access to information about their resort and the experiences available, it will help them personalise their visit.
The app also streamlines the flow of information within the resort between staff and guests. Equally, the cloud-based tool, Digital Human Resources (HR), helps resorts simplify the management of employees and handle HR interactions on the go, including career planning, learning strategies, and recruiting. This works on a single cloud solution, which builds the collaboration of different facets of an organisation. By so doing, Ooredoo improves efficiency, which is integral to any organisation.
Ooredoo’s Digital Hub has fully integrated Quad-Play to deliver superior voice, video, internet, and TV services, built on a single gigabit fibre network. To add to the Digital Resorts portfolio, Ooredoo also has Digital Entertainment. This is a fully managed, state of the art Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform which offers the widest choice of HD entertainment, video-on-demand content, and in-room services. Combining all the above, Ooredoo’s Digital Resorts app is designed for a differentiated guest experience.
APP INNOVATION
Elsewhere, Ooredoo has developed two e-commerce apps, offering consumers the opportunity to shop and manage money with its network. The Moolee app guides users through their shopping experience and plays an integral role in facilitating small business owners and online retailers to reach a bigger customer base. Meanwhile, the m-Faisaa mobile money app provides the convenience of making online payments. It allows users to manage utility bills, conveniently pay at the shops, and send money anywhere, all in a secure mobile wallet designed for day-to-day transactions. In fact, the app was awarded the Excellence in Innovation in Technology Industries Bronze Stevie award earlier this year for its services to the Maldives, while Moolee and m-Faisaa both won a silver Stevie award for Excellence in Innovation in Consumer Product and Service Industries.
Ooredoo remains committed to bringing innovative technologies to the people of the Maldives. Through the introduction of new products to its portfolio, such as Aachaa Prepaid and Post-paid, along with the extension of fixed internet coverage and the ability to access services via digital platforms, Ooredoo has enhanced business growth across the country.
DATA CENTRE DYNAMICS
Ooredoo has built a Tier 3 data centre in the Maldivian city of Hulhumalé, which is designed to be flood-resistant up to seven metres. A second data centre is currently being built as a back-up to the state of the art Ooredoo Maldives Data Centre (OMDC), which was launched to accommodate the ever-growing digitisation of businesses, creating a demand for capacity. OMDC manages the virtual infrastructure, ensuring security, connectivity, and continuity by offering end-to-end solutions for local businesses to thrive.
In addition to the data centre, work on deploying Ooredoo’s Nationwide Submarine Cable in conjunction with Huawei Marine is underway, bolstering the Maldives’ network infrastructure. This is an important investment by Ooredoo and part of its commitment to power a digital Maldives. Huawei Marine is utilising its advanced 100G technology, upgrading the Maldives to be one of the best-connected countries across Southeast Asia.
LOADING…
Innovation through improved services is the future of digital technologies in the Maldives. With SuperNet, Ooredoo has a continuing commitment to its customers’ growing digital needs and to the government’s Digital Maldives initiative. The lightning fast SuperNet enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where business models host services online, to successfully grow in the market. The fibre-optic broadband initiative is forever expanding and has recently reached the island Kudarikilu where customers are able to access speeds of up to 100Mbps.
Ooredoo has partnered with Huawei to bring cloud services to the Maldives, distilling over 30 years of accumulated technology. One of the advantages of using Huawei Cloud is it is the only end-to-end solutions provider to supply the cloud-pipe-device approach. It is also the best way to grow enterprises with a stable, secure, and ever-improving cloud service, and affordable, inclusive artificial intelligence (AI).
Elsewhere in the world of business, Rashuphone by Ooredoo offers a reliable way to connect wirelessly with the world, making it the perfect solution for homes or small businesses. The Ooredoo Satellite Phone converts regular smartphones into satellite phones, which give customers global coverage on the go, in over 161 countries. Finally, as the only conferencing solution in the Maldives to provide a complete set of communication and collaboration tools in one package, Ooredoo Conferencing powered by StartMeeting makes it easier to stay productive anywhere, through any device.
All things considered, Ooredoo will continue to take the Maldives to the next level with its innovations in the information and communication technology industry.
