Muscat: Oman’s mobile telecommunications sector saw significant growth in 2024, with postpaid mobile subscriptions rising by 33.9% by the end of December, reaching 2,391,951 subscriptions compared to the previous year.
Mobile and Internet Subscription Trends
According to the latest National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) report, prepaid mobile subscriptions declined by 1.6%, totaling 5,114,919. Among these, 3,889,244 subscriptions were from licensed operators, while 1,225,675 were from resellers. Despite the decline in prepaid numbers, the total number of mobile subscriptions in Oman grew by 7.5%, reaching 7,506,870 by the end of 2024.
The mobile broadband sector continued to expand, with active mobile broadband subscriptions increasing to 6,455,261. Fixed internet services also showed steady growth, with fixed broadband subscriptions (over 256 Kbps) reaching 573,028, reflecting a 2% year-on-year increase. Additionally, fixed internet subscriptions as a whole reached 574,730, marking a similar 2% growth from 2023.
Decline in Fixed-Line Services
While mobile and internet services grew, fixed-line subscriptions witnessed a significant decline of 24.8%, dropping to 435,596 by December 2024. Traditional analogue fixed-line subscriptions (both prepaid and postpaid) fell by 20.9%, reaching 66,834. In contrast, Internet Protocol (IP)-based fixed-line connections increased by 7.4%, totaling 318,478.
Other fixed-line services, such as the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) channels, saw a 0.2% decline, with 49,634 subscriptions recorded. Public telephone services saw a dramatic drop of 98.1%, with only 127 public telephone lines remaining. Fixed wireless subscriptions also fell by 25.6%, reaching 523 subscriptions.
Geographical Distribution of Fixed-Line Services
The Muscat Governorate accounted for the highest percentage of fixed-line analogue telephone subscriptions, representing 49.63% of the total. It was followed by North Al Batinah (11.46%) and Dhofar (10.03%). The remaining 28.88% of subscriptions were distributed across other governorates.
The report highlights the ongoing shift toward mobile and broadband services, reinforcing the growing demand for high-speed internet and digital communication technologies in Oman.
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