MUSCAT, SEPT 22 - The mobile penetration rate in the Sultanate dipped to 141.25 per cent per 100 inhabitants in 2018, down from 152.3 per cent a year earlier — underscoring a “slight slowdown” in active subscriptions, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced in its Annual Report 2018 issued over the weekend. Mobile subscribers across the two main operators Omantel and Ooredoo, as well as a pair of mobile resellers, totaled 6,440K in 2018 (comprising 712K postpaid subscribers and 7,728K prepaid subscribers). This compares with a high of 6,493K mobile subscribers in 2017 when the mobile penetration rate was pegged at 152.3 per cent per 100 inhabitants.
Omantel had a dominant 45 per cent share of the mobile services market, followed closely by Ooredoo with a 43 per cent share. The remaining 12 per cent was shared by the mobile resellers, the report said. In contrast, fixed telephone subscriptions climbed almost 10 per cent to 560K subscribers last year, up from 509K a year earlier. The penetration rate per household increased to 95.8 per cent, up from 87 per cent in 2017. Residential connections accounted for around 75 per cent of the total fixed phone subscribers, while businesses made up the rest.
Fixed Internet subscriptions also grew last year to 424K, representing a fixed Internet penetration of 9.30 per cent per 100 inhabitants, and 72.55 per cent per 100 households. Most of the fixed Internet subscriptions are fixed broadband connections, accounting for around 99 per cent of the total, the regulator said. However, active mobile broadband subscriptions dipped around five per cent to 4,113K subscriptions, resulting in a penetration rate of 90.2 per cent per inhabitant by the end of 2018. The much anticipated launch next year of Vodafone as the brand behind the third mobile telecom operator — Oman Future Telecommunications Company (OFT) — is expected to galvanise Oman’s telecom sector and intensify competition.
Presently, Oman has a total of 14 licensed telecom service providers distributed across three categories. In Class 1 are three major operators (Omantel, Ooredoo and Awasr), two international gateways TeO and Connecti, as well as Oman Broadband (providing passive broadband infrastructure) and Al Madakhel Investments (general maritime telecommunications). In Class II are mobile resellers Renna and Friendi, as well as Zajel Extended Telecom (not operational yet). Grouped in Class III are private network service providers Azyan Telecom and Rignet ME, Vehicle Management System Services Mahd Telecom, and VSAT private network services Mahd Satellite Services. The list does not include Oman Future Telecommunications, which only recently was named the third Telecom Service Provider.
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