Shadin Alharthy

Mohammed Al Ghaithi

Omar Alhendi

Al Azhar Al Mawali

Why Automation Became a Must for Oman’s Telecom Sector

Oman’s telecommunications industry has been evolving rapidly. But with high-volume operations, legacy systems, and growing customer expectations, many providers face a tough challenge: How do you move faster, smarter, and more efficiently, but without burning out your teams or losing your edge?

This was the exact situation for one of Oman’s largest telecom providers.

To stay ahead of the curve and support the goals of Oman Vision 2040, they turned to Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and partnered with a leading Omani automation company to make it happen.

What followed was more than a digital upgrade. It was a company-wide shift that streamlined processes, boosted employee skills, and reduced costs while building a stronger, smarter workforce from the inside.

The Challenge: Manual Work, Fragmented Systems, and Slowed Growth

Before automation, the telecom company relied heavily on manual, repetitive workflows across departments like finance, customer service, HR, and network management. Some of the biggest pain points included:

Time-consuming data entry from disconnected systems

Delayed service delivery caused by manual handovers and human error

Heavy dependence on third-party vendors for routine tasks

Slower customer response times, affecting satisfaction and loyalty

The leadership team knew that traditional methods were no longer sustainable, and that to remain competitive, they needed to digitally transform and invest in scalable, intelligent solutions.

The Solution: A Custom RPA Strategy Built in Oman, for Oman

To drive this transformation, the telecom provider partnered with a local automation expert to roll out a fully customized RPA program. The strategy focused on long-term impact instead of quick wins. So, here’s how they did it:

They worked closely with department heads to identify high-impact processes that were ideal for automation—starting with finance, HR, and service delivery.

The first bots were deployed to handle tasks like invoice processing, employee onboarding, and service provisioning. Some tasks that once took hours were now completed in minutes—

3. Citizen Developer Training (A First in Oman)

In a groundbreaking move, the company launched a training program that taught non-technical employees how to build their own bots using low-code tools. This sparked a culture of innovation and gave teams more control over their own efficiency.

After early success, RPA was expanded across multiple departments, including technical operations, procurement, and customer servicewhile integrating smoothly with existing ERP and legacy systems.

The Results: Measurable ROI and Real Organizational Change

40+ processes automated across business functions

70%+ reduction in processing time for key workflows

Zero downtime from bots, thanks to reliable infrastructure

30+ citizen developers trained, many of them women in non-technical roles

Significant cost savings by reducing manual work and outsourcing

Wider Impact: Aligning with Oman’s National Goals

This wasn’t just a win for the company, it was a win for Oman’s digital economy. The initiative supported key pillars of Oman Vision 2040 by:

Upskilling Omani talent, reducing reliance on external consultants

Encouraging innovation from within, building a digital-first mindset

Contributing to a knowledge-based economy through technology adoption

Promoting inclusion, with many citizen developers being women in business roles

Here's The Gist: Automation Works Best When People Lead It

RPA isn’t just about saving time, it’s about unlocking potential.

By giving employees the tools to automate their own tasks, the company didn’t just become more efficient. It became more agile, more confident, and more prepared for the future.

This case proves that with the right mindset, the right partners, and a commitment to empowering people, automation can do far more than optimize, it can transform.

How RPA Transformed a Leading Telecom in Oman 

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, data is often called the “new oil.” Yet, for many government and private entities in Oman, this valuable resource remains locked away in filing cabinets, paper archives, and isolated digital silos. As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms industries worldwide, the inability to access and leverage this data is becoming a critical barrier to progress—and a growing risk.

The Data Dilemma: Siloes and Physical Archives

Across Oman, countless organizations are sitting on decades’ worth of records—contracts, reports, citizen data, and more. Much of this information exists only in physical form, scattered across departments and locations. Even where digital records exist, they are often siloed, stored in incompatible systems that don’t communicate with each other.

This fragmented approach means that decision-makers lack a holistic view of their organization’s data. Opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and improved public services are missed simply because the right information is inaccessible or invisible.

With AI’s rise, the value of data has never been higher. Machine learning algorithms thrive on large, diverse datasets, uncovering patterns and insights that can drive smarter decisions, automate processes, and deliver better outcomes for citizens and customers alike. For Omani organizations, the data already exists—but it’s trapped.

Imagine the possibilities if government ministries could instantly analyze years of public records to predict service demand, or if private companies could mine historical sales data to forecast trends and personalize offerings. The potential is enormous, but only if the data is digitized, unified, and made AI-ready.

Failing to address this challenge carries significant risks:

Missed Opportunities: While other nations and companies harness AI to leap ahead, Omani organizations risk falling behind, unable to compete or innovate at the same pace.

Operational Inefficiency: Manual data retrieval is slow, error-prone, and costly. It hampers responsiveness and drains resources.

Security and Compliance Threats: Physical records are vulnerable to loss, damage, and unauthorized access. Siloed digital data can lead to inconsistent security practices and regulatory breaches.

Poor Decision-Making: Without a unified data view, leaders make decisions based on incomplete or outdated information, increasing the risk of costly mistakes.

Taking the Next Step: How to Unlock Oman’s Data Potential

To turn this challenge into an opportunity, Omani organizations must act now:

Begin by conducting a comprehensive audit of all physical and digital records across your organization. Prioritize high-value or at-risk documents for digitization. Use secure, scalable scanning and optical character recognition (OCR) technologies to convert paper records into searchable digital formats.


 The ISO 15489 standard for records management provides guidance on the systematic control of records, ensuring authenticity, reliability, and usability throughout their lifecycle.

Integrate disparate data sources using modern data integration platforms or middleware. This creates a unified data environment, enabling seamless data sharing and collaboration across departments. Consider implementing a centralized data warehouse or a data lake architecture, which are widely adopted in both public and private sectors globally.


The DAMA-DMBOK (Data Management Body of Knowledge) framework outlines best practices for data integration, architecture, and interoperability.

Develop and enforce clear policies for data quality, security, privacy, and access. Appoint data stewards or a data governance committee to oversee compliance and continuous improvement. Adopt a data classification scheme to ensure sensitive information is handled appropriately.


The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), while European, sets a global benchmark for data privacy and governance. The COBIT framework also provides comprehensive guidelines for IT governance and management.

Invest in training programs to build digital literacy and data management skills among your workforce. Encourage cross-functional collaboration between IT, operations, and business units. Leverage online courses, certifications, and workshops from recognized providers such as Coursera, edX, or local universities.


The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report highlights the importance of digital and analytical skills for the workforce of tomorrow.

Engage with technology vendors, consultants, and academic institutions that specialize in data digitization, integration, and AI. These partners can help you assess your current state, design a tailored roadmap, and implement solutions that align with global best practices.


The Gartner Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence can help organizations understand the maturity and adoption of AI technologies, guiding strategic investments.

Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress in digitization, data integration, and AI adoption. Regularly review outcomes, gather feedback, and refine your approach to ensure continuous improvement.

Don’t let your organization’s most valuable asset go untapped. Start your data digitization journey today, and prepare to lead in the age of AI.

From Filing Cabinets to AI: Why Omani Organizations Must Digitize Their Data Before It’s Too Late

Every year during the holy month of Ramadan, Rihal launches an internal initiative that blends purpose, innovation, and local talent development in Oman. It’s called CodeStacker: a one-of-a-kind challenge designed to empower Omani professionals, spark ambitious ideas, and shape the future of tech leadership from within.

CodeStacker is Rihal’s annual Ramadan challenge, where employees from various departments come together to:

Build working prototypes for real-world tech solutions

Collaborate across functions and disciplines

Explore new ideas that could have a meaningful impact on Oman’s digital ecosystem

Although it started out as a competition, it’sgrown to become a cultural tradition that brings together innovation and purpose during one of the most reflective times of the year.

As a proudly Omani company, with a 89% Omanization rate, Rihal is deeply invested in building homegrown capabilities. CodeStacker is one way we:

Provide hands-on opportunities for employees to grow and lead

Encourage the development of tools that support Omani businesses and government sectors

Align with the national vision of fostering a sustainable and digital-ready economy

By creating space for internal experimentation, CodeStacker helps turn raw ideas into future-ready solutions tailored to Oman’s needs.

Each year, participating teams go through a full-cycle experience:

Brainstorming real-world problems worth solving

Presenting their idea to a panel of internal judges

Some projects are bold experiments. Others evolve into full-fledged platforms or tools that serve our clients and community. That’s the beauty of CodeStacker, as it fuels innovation from the ground up.

What makes CodeStacker powerful is that it’s open to everyone, not just developers. Designers, analysts, project managers, and other team members all contribute in meaningful ways. This creates:

A culture of cross-functional collaboration

Growth in technical and creative confidence

A shared sense of pride in building something valuable

It’san initiativethat grows minds, fuels ambition, and nurtures leadership, right here in Oman.

Rihal encourages participants to focus on ideas that reflect our Omani environment and serve real local needs. Many CodeStacker projects center on:

Data visualization or management challenges in Oman

Automating repetitive processes for local industries

Building tools that empower small businesses or public sector workflows

This local-first thinking ensures our solutions are not only innovative, but relevant and impactful.

CodeStacker’s Strategic Impact at Rihal

Since its launch, CodeStacker has delivered real, measurable outcomes that benefit both the company and Oman’s tech landscape:

Proven Talent Pipeline: Over 10 past winners have seamlessly transitioned into full-time roles at Rihal.

Massive Engagement: With 700+ participants across four seasons, the challenge has built a thriving internal community of innovators.

Brand Elevation:CodeStacker positions Rihal as a leading hub for tech talent in Oman, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and long-term talent development.

Scouting the Best: The challenge acts as a powerful tool to identify, assess, and recruit top-tier young professionals across tech disciplines.

At Rihal, we believe that true innovation starts by empowering the people closest to the problems. CodeStacker is more than a yearly challenge, it’s a mindset. One that inspires our team to lead, build, and think boldly.

As we look ahead, CodeStacker remains a cornerstone of how we support Omani tech talent, encourage purpose-driven creativity, and invest in building the future, from right here, inside our own walls.

CodeStacker: Rihal’s Ramadan Tech Challenge Fueling Omani Innovation 

In any field of business, and at any level of authority, effective decision-making can only be achieved with the presence of data. In fact, in numerous organizations, no resources can be deployed and not a single dollar is spent without a proper basis of knowledge. The flip side of this coin is that data must be structured and presented in a format that facilitates decisive judgment.

As part of Rihal’s mission to enable data-driven decision-making in organizations, Microsoft Power BI has been adopted as a key tool. Due to its immense capabilities in producing interactive visuals in the realm of business intelligence, Power BI has gained considerable traction in the business industry since its launch in 2015. This tool is capable of linking discrete data sources into one report, aiming to produce a cohesive image for the end-user. Once published, this report can be transformed into a dashboard that allows for a seamless transition between its elements.

In a previous project, Rihal’s Data Management department aided a key player in Oman’s tourism sector in adopting and implementing a data-driven decision-making mechanism using Power BI. Being the authority on tourism development in Oman, our client manages a daily influx of data to keep track of all project phases and activities, such as initiation, tendering, construction, and through to commissioning and opening facilities to the public. These dealings involve liaising with multiple stakeholders, each sharing dynamic financial information, tentative completion dates, and the latest visual updates on project completions, etc.

Initially, all this information is unlinked, but once sorted and consolidated, it can be analyzed and displayed on a single interface to give a holistic view of any trends and important indicators for the decision-making process. In design, it is known that less is, in fact, more. Harmony in design is often born out of contrast.

Other than providing a greater overview of all aspects related to their projects, some examples may include:

Determining the main areas of delays in any project and producing subsequent actions to address them.

Identifying contractors that have won most tenders to negotiate future rates.

Monitoring the transfer of funds among multiple parties in an ongoing project.

Keeping track of any deadlines that may impact an upcoming phase to ramp up work.

Tracking challenges faced by a project and suggesting the best possible solutions.

The beauty of Power BI dashboards lies in the centralization of all data. This enlightens decision-makers about data from the extreme ends of the organization, enabling them to make the best judgments when tackling any misalignment's.

Rihal Blogs

How RPA Transformed a Leading Telecom in Oman

From Filing Cabinets to AI: Why Omani Organizations Must Digitize Their Data Before It’s Too Late

CodeStacker: Rihal’s Ramadan Tech Challenge Fueling Omani Innovation

Strategic Decision Making: Power BI

Rihal Blogs

.css-1enyoca{color:var(--text);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1enyoca:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:var(--text);}How RPA Transformed a Leading Telecom in Oman

From Filing Cabinets to AI: Why Omani Organizations Must Digitize Their Data Before It’s Too Late

CodeStacker: Rihal’s Ramadan Tech Challenge Fueling Omani Innovation

Strategic Decision Making: Power BI

How RPA Transformed a Leading Telecom in Oman