4421 The anticipated launch of a third mobile network operator in the Sultanate of Oman will increase competition in the mobile sector. The current operators Omantel and Ooredoo have a similar and sizeable market share. The telecom regulator in September 2019 approved the partnership between Vodafone Group and Oman Future Telecommunications to develop a mobile service using the Vodafone brand. In August 2020 the Ministry of Transport and Communications suggested that the third MNO could be licensed in early 2021. In early 2020 the consortium agreed to lease mobile towers from Oman Tower Company (OTC), and this will allow them to enter the mobile market more quickly. OTC plans to build more mobile towers in Oman throughout 2020 and make these available for infrastructure sharing.