Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has revealed that its telecom sector gained investments worth OR226.6 mn in 2022.
According to TRA data, mobile communications captured 50 percent of the total investments. Meanwhile, fixed telecommunications services constituted 24.8 percent. The remaining 25 percent went to other services.
Oman’s telecom sector advances
In 2022, Oman also licensed 24 new postal services companies. This increases the total number of approved operators to 48. These new entrants also generated 144 fresh job opportunities.
In the same year, the country also saw its 5G technology rapidly advance. By the end of 2022, the number of its 5G stations reached 2,600. Additionally, 658,471 buildings received fiber-optic cables.
Furthermore, 94 percent or 1,146 schools of the 1,221 educational institutions that received telecom services in the previous year were serviced with both fiber optic and 5G networks.
The TRA previously revealed a strategic program to strengthen Oman’s telecom sector. This initiative includes plans for infrastructure expansion. It also comprises enhancements in service quality and the fine-tuning of benchmarks used for service quality and pricing assessment.
The comprehensive strategy also eyes to distribute fiber-optic services to 75 percent of Oman’s buildings. In addition, TRA plans to equip 85 percent of buildings with fixed broadband networks, with 100 percent of its stations compatible with both 4G and 5G networks.
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MEA’s telecom market
In line with Oman’s Vision 2040, the country aims to undergo a significant digital transformation, with its information and communication technology (ICT) market projected to reach OR2.2 bn by next year.
Telecom is bound to play a pivotal role in this. Data shows that Oman’s combined wholesale and retail mobile revenue surged from OR111.6 mn in the second quarter of 2021 to OR117.2 mn in the same period of 2022.
In the rest of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, the telecom market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 5.28 percent from 2023 to 2028. This forecast is according to Mordor Intelligence.
The report further explained that MEA’s telecom market expansion will be driven by the emergence of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). MVNOs refer to wireless communication service providers that do not own the infrastructure to service their customers.
The proliferation of fiber-optic networks and fixed broadband offerings will also be vital in helping the market grow.
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