Muscat – Fifty government schools have been connected to the Starlink satellite Internet service and the telecom sector’s 2025 revenue rose 25% to RO961mn, officials said on Tuesday.

At a media briefing, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) reviewed performance across telecommunications and postal services over 2021 -2025. Mobile subscriptions in Oman rose 7% to 6.42mn, while Internet of Things (IoT) subscriptions jumped 358% to 1.632mn. Fixed broadband subscriptions increased 14% and the number of 5G base stations grew 189%.

High-speed fixed broadband now covers 67% of residential units. All government schools have Internet access, with 97% covered by high-speed fixed broadband.

Postal services also expanded, with revenues of 87 licensed companies rising 81% to RO29.5mn. Omanisation reached 94% in telecommunications and 73% in postal services.

Under the Nafath initiative, 843 projects worth RO29.2mn were offered in the telecom and postal sectors by 2025. Of that, RO1.8mn in purchase orders went to small and medium enterprises holding the Riyada card. TRA recorded 183 violations by companies, with fines totalling RO1.042mn.

The regulator said its strategy for the next phase focuses on job creation, investment, revenue growth and service quality. Regulations to protect users from unsolicited and fraudulent messages are due next month.

Omar Hamdan Al Ismaili, CEO of TRA, said, “The school connectivity programme aims to improve digital services. The authority is also preparing infrastructure to support artificial intelligence applications and attract investment while safeguarding user privacy and official data.”

Separately, TRA confirmed that chat features on Telegram are fully accessible in Oman. The clarification follows years of limited access, when some users relied on virtual private networks. The authority said the platform’s communication functions are now available to the public without restriction.

Key highlights

         •        6.42mn mobile subscriptions (+7%)

         •        1.632mn IoT subscriptions (+358%)

         •        RO29.5mn postal sector revenue (+81%)

         •        14% rise in fixed broadband subscriptions

         •        189% rise in 5G base stations

         •        100% schools with Internet access

         •        50 schools connected to Starlink satellite Internet

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