OHI Telecommunications acquires
Tariq.net
Muscat - In a move that could create
ripples in the Sultanate’s IT industry, OHI Telecommunications Company, the
market leader in the telecom industry, and www.tariq.net, the first and the
leading IT portal in the Sultanate, have decided to merge. Following this
merger, the website has been renamed www.ohitariq.net OHI Telecommunications,
which is part of the OHI group, has been providing high quality products and
services for the Omani community.
The website www.tariq.net, was launched on November 23, 1999 and ever since
its launch, Tariq.net has been the most visited website.
OHI has started providing Internet related services such as e-security, web
applications and Internetconsulting in 1997 and by this time, the company has
established itself as a strong player in providing Internet and e-security
solutions to major government and private sector organizations in the
Sultanate.
Meanwhile, Tariq bin Hilal AL Barwani, founder of www.tariq.net, has joined
OHI as Internet manager as part of the merger package.
Tariq is well-known in the Oman IT industry for his weekly articles that
appear in the Times Business and also for providing free programs and free IT
support.
This merger is a synergy of the individual strength of Tariq Hilal AL Barwani
and OHI. According to IT circles, this merger would benefit the Omani
IT-community through increased IT - related services and information offered
through this web portal, which has been hailed as the one-stop window for all
IT needs of the community in Oman.
Tariq AL Barwani says, “The merger with OHI will continue to provide these
services to Internet users and will also remain as the vehicle to provide
website designing, IT solution and training.
Speaking to Times Business, Maqbool Hameed, the chairman, OHI group added: “We
have got ambitious scheme in the offing and as part of the new plans being
chalked out, ohitariq.net will provide e-commerce services shortly and respond
to visitors’ queries within 24 hours or even less time.”
OHI Telecommunications has won the Royal level Award for being the best
Microsoft Recommended support Point in the Middle East at the Microsoft
conference in Lebanon during 1998.
It was some time back that OHI Telecommunications launch a new PC, OHI pro,
which is assembled by OHI Telecom itself. OHI pro was launch at comex1999.
As one of the Sultanate’s premier business houses, OHI group is engaged in
various activities.
The OHI group consists of three principals, one of which is the public joint
stock company - OHI. The group has acquired the heavy engineering and high -
technology companies of the group dealing in telecommunications and computer,
oil, energy and marine equipment.
The other tow companies, International Investment Company and MH & Partners
Investment hold investment in the various other companies of the group
covering construction, service, trading and tourism sector, including the
hotels owning company, Oman Hotels and Tourism Company - another listed
company.
The four subsidiaries of OHI are OHI Marine Equipment Company, OHI
Telecommunications Company, which has under its fold OHI Jusbai Company and
Ghadeer Brothers, OHI Petroleum & Energy Services and Overseas Petroleum,
which has its control, Ampscot Opec and Velosi Tuv.