Thawani launches Internet of Things platform

Muscat: An Internet of Things platform Makank that can be used to initiate payment requests using RFID stickers linked to a vehicle and Thawani user’s account has been launched by Thawani Technologies Company.
Haya Water, the Sultanate’s government-owned company that operates wastewater network and sewage treatment plants, has become the first entity to use the Makank platform. By activating the services of the Makank platform Haya Water will further improve its efficiency with regards to tanker owner operations.
The first application of the Makank platform is used to trigger payments for tankers accessing a facility for a defined fee. This automated solution helps to reduce the human intervention in terms of gate access management, Makank will control the gate barrier to open automatically by reading the radio-frequency identification (RFID) sticker after applying fees rules and allows the vehicle to enter without any human intervention. The system can also be used for other business applications that will be announced later this year.
For the Haya project each tanker will be provided a sticker and the Makank system will read the tanker details and offer gate access after applying fee guidelines.
Internet of Things (IOT), the key technology behind the success of smart city initiatives is about extending the power of the internet beyond computers and smartphones to a whole range of other things, processes and environments.
Eng.Majid bin Fayil Al Amri, Founder and CEO of Thawani, said, “This is in line with the company's plans to provide smart solutions in alignment with Sultanate's plan to drive smart city initiatives in Oman. Our vision is to employ the latest technology to improve the lifestyle of individuals and entities. This service is a qualitative and smart shift in the way payments are received by tankers and will make completing payment processes easy, intelligent and secure.”
Eng. Hussain Abdul Hussain CEO of Haya Water said, "With the digital transformation taking place in the world and the Sultanate's use of digital technology under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, intelligent solutions have been found to facilitate tanks management procedures. Cooperation with a leading Omani company in providing and innovating smart payment solutions such as Thawani will improve the experience of the beneficiaries and develop the mechanism of dealing with them.”
Eng. Saud bin Nasser Al Shehdani, Senior Operating Director, Haya Water District, said that the project will directly address the requirements of the beneficiaries as it will save the time and effort and will provide an easy and safe way.
Thawani app was ranked among the best applications by Information Technology Authority (ITA) for the realisation of its goals within a short period of its launch. It was praised for its contribution to the dissemination of a culture of electronic payment and its commitment to provide services according to standards and systems adopted locally and globally. It was also commended for innovation and the use of technologies such as Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to meet the needs of individuals and meet the requirements of the infrastructure of smart cities.
Users can download the Thawani app from the Apple Store or Google Play to manage their finances. All ‘Thawani’ app users are assured of keeping their banking data completely private. Users will not have to share any card, bank, or account information at any point to complete transactions. The application is in line with the Central Bank of Oman’s regulations and maintains the international PCI DSS standards for data integrity and secure encryption.
Everything from its set-up and creating an account to using the app on a day-to-day basis has been designed around simplicity. The aim of Thawani app is to introduce a new alternative payment method that would not only be really simple to use but one that would always work, help people budget better, while adhering to the highest standards of security, both for customers and merchants alike.
The Thawani platform was founded on March 2016, marking the beginning of a new era of easy and secure e-payment solutions in the Sultanate of Oman. The pioneer e-payment platform has seen steady growth during the last few months and gained the trust of both users and merchants in Oman.