Omantel

Omantel provides discounted plans for users with disabilities. It also demonstrates efforts in creating an inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities by incorporating accessibility considerations and providing basic sign language training for employees and outlet managers.

Omantel supports the development of basic and intermediate digital skills through several programmes. The company partners with an Omani education centre Engineering Village on the Hour of Code initiative, which teaches children programming skills. It has also installed an Innovation Corner in an Omani library where children can interact with digital maker tools. Additionally, the company has donated 555 laptops to students from low-income households or with disabilities to support remote learning.

Omantel has information security certification that is aligned with international standards. Additionally, it discloses the number of data breaches and considers data privacy a key topic in its materiality analysis.

Omantel collaborates with Sultan Qaboos University on research into areas relating to information and communications technology (ICT) and nanotechnology. The company also supports the tech start-up ecosystem in Oman by providing venture capital investments and offering mentoring, networking and training opportunities to start-ups through the Omantel Accelerator. Further, the company demonstrates commitment to sustainability issues by aligning with and measuring its goals against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and developing innovative products such as reverse vending machines to promote the culture of recycling and the concept of circular economy.

Omantel can more clearly demonstrate how it supports digital opportunities for women and girls and how it makes its digital products accessible for people with disabilities. It could also calculate and disclose how the economic value it generates is distributed among its stakeholders and its indirect economic impact.

Omantel has an opportunity to broaden its support for digital skills development, especially among vulnerable and underrepresented groups. The company can also consider carrying out a third-party assessment looking at the impact of its existing programmes on advancing digital skills. It can also report its financial and in-kind contribution to these programmes.

Little evidence was found on Omantel’s activities to make digital technologies safe and secure. The company can more clearly demonstrate how it assigns senior-level oversight of and accountability for cybersecurity and how it monitors, remedies and reports on security incidents. Additionally, it could make a high-level commitment to child online safety and support initiatives that address the issue.

Little evidence was found in relation to Omantel’s support for open, inclusive and ethical innovation. The company has an opportunity to report on its initiatives in this area. Further, it can enhance transparency by reporting the number of women it employs in tech roles, and how it considers ethics and human rights in its research and development (R&D) activities.

Omantel has a grievance mechanism that is accessible to all workers to raise human rights concerns. However, no company policies or commitments related to respect for human rights were found in the public domain. There is also no public evidence of Omantel committing to respect the ILO core labour rights, nor does the company disclose a process to identify, assess and mitigate the salient human rights risks associated with its own operations and with its business relationships.

No company policies or commitments relating to providing and promoting decent work were found in the public domain. In relation to workforce diversity, the company provides a breakdown of employees in different employee categories by gender. However, it does not disclose employee breakdowns against any other indicators of diversity. 

No company policies or commitments relating to key ethical business topics – tax, bribery and corruption, and lobbying and political engagement – were found in the public domain in English.