Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Cisco Unveil Video Conferencing Solution for the Hearing Impaired at Comex 2014

Government Departments to Deliver Video Phone Connectivity to Facilitate Easier Communication With Omani Citizens with Hearing Difficulties.

MUSCAT, Oman– 8th April 2014 – The Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Cisco today announced the launch of a new Cisco Video Conferencing Solution for hearing impaired Omani Citizens at COMEX Oman 2014. The solution was demoed at the Cisco Stand 101 in the Business Pavilion as well as the TRA stand in the Telecom Zone at the show today.

This new service, which is available at no cost to users, will be delivered by volunteers using sign language who will represent different government entities. It operates via Mobile tablets using 4G LTE connectivity thereby enabling citizens with hearing difficulties to communicate directly with experts trained to use the sign language from their own mobile devices and receive vital information and services.

The demonstration aims to show how the service can connect trained volunteers via mobile phones to Cisco video phones hosted by government entities. This will then enable them to connect directly with the citizens seeking information. The service has already been trailed successfully in Oman by the TRA.

Cisco provides an unmatched video collaboration experience for businesses of all sizes to connect with people in their ecosystems. Now is the time for an intelligent approach to video conferencing that is simple to use and provides choices from anywhere. It has already provided this solution to number of government entities in the Middle East region with a great success rate. Designated as a fourth-generation (4G) mobile specification, LTE is designed to provide multimegabit bandwidth, more efficient use of the radio network, latency reduction, and improved mobility. This combination aims to enhance the subscriber's interaction with the network and further accelerate the demand for mobile multimedia services.

“This is yet another great example of how the Sultanate is fully embracing and utilizing the power of technology to enhance the daily lives of our citizens and in particular those with disabilities.  It is our duty to ensure that all Omani Citizens have equal access to information and services and Cisco’s innovative video conferencing solutions will help us achieve this. We are proud to be strategically collaborating with a company that has proven to be ahead of the game when it comes to delivering pioneering end-to-end technology solutions across voice, video and collaborative applications,” said Hilal O.  Al-Siyabi, International Relations and Media Manager at the TRA.

“We are indeed honored to have been selected by TRA to deliver a collaborative solution that will help to provide Omani Citizens with hearing difficulties with better access to government information and services.  This is in line our strategy to embrace and leverage the phenomenal opportunities to be created by the Internet of Everything (IoE) which is already enabling new connections between people, processes, data and things whilst also creating quantifiable benefits for citizens. Whatsmore, our video conferencing solutions are built and developed on open standards and therefore have the flexibility to be used across all service sectors. In the Middle East region, we have started with public services but aim to roll-out the solution to be used in customer services for banking, education and health care.” said Iyad Alchammat, General Manager at Cisco Oman.