Oman signs deal on digital transactions

In its quest to support the development of an internet-enabled society, the Omani government has signed an agreement for the establishment of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). The pact was signed here on Sunday by the Information Technology Authority (ITA), which is spearheading the country's development of e-services with Gemalto Middle East, a leading provider of digital security services. Representing the ITA at the signing ceremony was Ali Bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, chairman of the ITA board of directors, while signing on behalf of Gemalto was Hisham Surakhi, director for government programmes. The PKI agreement will cover the design, implementation and operation of all required policies, regulations and processes to establish an infrastructure of trust which will assist the public and private sector in enabling digital transactions and streamlining the e-government services. Supporting Oman's Digital Society initiatives, ITA is overseeing the establishment of all necessary infrastructure to allow citizens and businesses to use the services. The sultanate's eTransaction law gave the ITA responsibility for creating internet-based services. Al Sunaidi said: "The PKI project agreement will help to instill confidence in e-transactions and e-services, so the public can complete their electronic transactions in a safe and secure manner."