Muscat: To regulate the commercial sector in the Sultanate of Oman, and in collaboration with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion (MOCIIP) has urged individuals, institutions, and companies engaged in commercial activities to contract only with postal service providers licensed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority when seeking delivery or any other postal services.
Efforts are being made to ensure the quality of services provided and to safeguard the rights of beneficiaries by organizing the market according to the highest standards of efficiency and quality, MOCIIP said.
The list of licensed postal service providers can be accessed via the TRA website.
Postal or courier companies that come under the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) are only responsible for the delivery of purchases made by international e-commerce companies.
"Our companies are only responsible for deliveries of the purchases made from these companies (to and from the Sultanate of Oman), but their actual operations are regulated by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP)," a TRA official earlier said in reply to a query from the Observer.
Thousands of citizens and residents make purchases through international companies and delivery of products often overshoots the deadline promised by the retailer, and in some cases, the products delivered are not as promised.
It may be noted that the ministry has started implementing regulatory provisions for e-commerce under Ministerial Decision No. 499/2023 this month.
This regulation is part of the national plan for e-commerce to regulate online buying and selling processes and reduce online fraud and scams related to e-commerce. Additionally, the regulation is introduced to align with advanced countries in regulating e-commerce, overseeing online stores, and imposing penalties on violators.
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