Oman's telecom sector powers ahead with surge in IoT, mobile connections

21/07/2025 01:26 AST

Oman's telecom sector grew 15.2 percent by May, with mobile subscriptions reaching 8.13 million and Internet of Things connections rising to 1.55 million amid digital expansion and smart tech adoption, official data showed.

IoT subscriptions surged by 118.7 percent, highlighting the growing demand for smart connectivity across sectors such as logistics, utilities, and manufacturing, the National Center for Statistics and Information said.

Oman's rapidly expanding digital infrastructure is central to Vision 2040, which focuses on innovation, economic diversification, and improved public services. Meanwhile, growth in fiber optic and fixed 5G subscriptions highlights the shift toward advanced, high-speed connectivity.

According to Mordor Intelligence, a global market research and consulting firm, this momentum is backed by substantial public investment.

In 2022, the government announced a $441.5 million digital transformation initiative to modernize the public sector and deliver seamless smart services to citizens and businesses.

"This commitment is further reinforced by the national Digital Economy Program's ambitious targets under Oman Vision 2040, which projects the digital economy's contribution to gross domestic product to rise from 3 percent in 2025 to 5 percent in 2030, ultimately reaching 10 percent by 2040," Mordor said in a report on the Gulf state's information and communication technology market.

The research firm added that the government's digitalization drive includes a goal of digitizing approximately 80 percent of services by 2025, laying a robust foundation for long-term technological progress across sectors.

Further data from NCSI, also published by the Oman News Agency, showed postpaid mobile subscriptions climbed by 5.6 percent to over 1.23 million by the end of May, compared to the same period last year. Prepaid mobile subscriptions also rose, up 3.1 percent to more than 5.33 million.

Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions reached 5.41 million, while fixed broadband subscriptions increased by 2.6 percent year-on-year to 588,015.

Within the fixed Internet segment, fiber optic services grew by 11.4 percent to 339,279 subscriptions.

Fixed 5G connections rose by 2.1 percent to 215,850. However, legacy technologies are on the decline, with fixed 4G subscriptions falling by 38.1 percent to 19,654, digital user lines dropping by 50.8 percent to 11,806, and satellite Internet accounts shrinking by 2.1 percent to 653.

Other Internet services, such as powerline, Ethernet, and leased lines, also contracted by 12 percent, totaling only 773 subscriptions by the end of the fifth month.

The sultanate's digital transformation efforts are further underscored by the Government Digital Transformation Program, known as Tahawul, which reached 73 percent overall performance by November, up from 53 percent the previous year.

The government has streamlined and digitalized thousands of public services, with four key entities, including the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, achieving advanced digital excellence.

The progress aligns with Oman Vision 2040's priorities and is supported by major digital infrastructure projects, such as the upcoming unified e-government portal and the National Digital Integration Platform, which has processed over 1.4 billion data transactions.

The surge in digital government transactions, reaching nearly 27 million in 2024, reflects the growing public adoption of smart services. By 2025, 80 percent of essential government services are expected to be fully online.

Arab News