Communications in Oman
Encyclopedia
Oman Telecommunication Company (Omantel
) has a monopoly in the landline telephone and internet access markets. Its arm Omanmobile
offers mobile services. The Omani government owns 70% of Omantel after 30% was listed for the public in 2005. In 2005 Qatar Telecommunication Company (Qtel) and partners were awarded the second license to offer mobile services in the country under the brand of (Nawras
).
In October 2007 the government overhauled Omantel board of directors and announced its plan to remerge the two arm of the company and to sell part of its share to a strategic partner. The government also slashed the royalty fee paid on revenue from 12% to 7%.
: 00968
Landlines in use: 254,051(2010 - Feb)
Prepaid (36,430) - Postpaid (210,816)- Public Pay-phone (6,805)
Mobile cellular: 4,131,922 (2010 - Feb)
Prepaid (3,767,218) – Postpaid (364,704)
Domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, limited coaxial cable and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations.
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat.
The postpaid dialup service offered by Omantel costs 3 R.O. ($8) per month plus 0.180 R..O. ($0.47) for each hour of use.
: (29,000)
ADSL services were launched in 2005 in Oman
through the provider Omantel
, the only ISP in Oman.
Packages available for home users:
Televisions: 1.6 million (1997)
Radios: 1.4 million (1997)
In April, 2008, Nokia Siemens was appointed to replace parts of the existing radio network.
Omantel
Oman Telecommunications Company is the first telecommunications company in Oman and is the primary provider of internet services in the country. Omantel acquired a 65% share in WorldCall Pakistan in April 2008. The government of Oman owns a 70% share in Omantel.- Oman Mobile :Oman Mobile is a...
) has a monopoly in the landline telephone and internet access markets. Its arm Omanmobile
Omantel
Oman Telecommunications Company is the first telecommunications company in Oman and is the primary provider of internet services in the country. Omantel acquired a 65% share in WorldCall Pakistan in April 2008. The government of Oman owns a 70% share in Omantel.- Oman Mobile :Oman Mobile is a...
offers mobile services. The Omani government owns 70% of Omantel after 30% was listed for the public in 2005. In 2005 Qatar Telecommunication Company (Qtel) and partners were awarded the second license to offer mobile services in the country under the brand of (Nawras
Nawras
Nawras is a mobile communications provider in the Sultanate of Oman. The services were commercially launched on 16 March 2005 in the market previously occupied by a sole operator Omantel. In November 2008 Nawras was awarded a license to operate fixed services as well wireless services...
).
In October 2007 the government overhauled Omantel board of directors and announced its plan to remerge the two arm of the company and to sell part of its share to a strategic partner. The government also slashed the royalty fee paid on revenue from 12% to 7%.
Telephone
Country CodeCountry code
Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The best known of these is ISO 3166-1...
: 00968
Landlines in use: 254,051(2010 - Feb)
Prepaid (36,430) - Postpaid (210,816)- Public Pay-phone (6,805)
Mobile cellular: 4,131,922 (2010 - Feb)
Prepaid (3,767,218) – Postpaid (364,704)
Domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, limited coaxial cable and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations.
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat.
Dial-up access
Dial-up: Postpaid (50,000) plus prepaid access cards containing a username and a password which give a set number of surfing hours.The postpaid dialup service offered by Omantel costs 3 R.O. ($8) per month plus 0.180 R..O. ($0.47) for each hour of use.
Broadband access
BroadbandBroadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
: (29,000)
ADSL services were launched in 2005 in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
through the provider Omantel
Omantel
Oman Telecommunications Company is the first telecommunications company in Oman and is the primary provider of internet services in the country. Omantel acquired a 65% share in WorldCall Pakistan in April 2008. The government of Oman owns a 70% share in Omantel.- Oman Mobile :Oman Mobile is a...
, the only ISP in Oman.
Packages available for home users:
- 512 kbit/s (0 GB bundled): costs 12 R.O. ($32) plus 1 R.O ($2.6) per gigabyte. No extra charge is calculated after downloading 27 GB which equals 39 R.O ($102) monthly.
- 1 Mbit/s (2 GB bundled): costs 19 R.O. ($50) plus 1 R.O. ($2.6) per extra gigabyte.
- 2 Mbit/s (5 GB bundled): costs 29 R.O. ($76) plus 1 R.O. ($2.6) per extra gigabyte.
- 4 Mbit/s (10 GB bundled): costs 39 R.O. ($102) plus 1 R.O. ($2.6) per extra gigabyte.
- 8 Mbit/s (unlimited access): costs 99 R.O. ($258).
EDGE and 3G
Both Omanmobile and Nawras offer access to the internet through their EDGE networks. Nawras launched its 3G network in selected areas in December 2007 with a download speed of 1 megabit. Omanmobile is expected to offer 3G services in year 2009.Television
Broadcast stations: 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999)Televisions: 1.6 million (1997)
Radio
Broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)Radios: 1.4 million (1997)
In April, 2008, Nokia Siemens was appointed to replace parts of the existing radio network.
External links
- Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
- Omantel - Oman Telecommunications Company phone company and ISP
- Oman Mobile mobile telecommunication company
- Nawras mobile telecommunication company
- Ministry of Information