Muscat: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority says it has moved deeper into a “digital-first” model over the past four years, pointing to faster online delivery of services alongside a sharp expansion in fibre and 5G infrastructure.In its annual media briefing covering 2021–2025, the authority said it digitised 84 services and simplified 57, completing 134,364 electronic transactions — a snapshot of how regulatory and customer-facing processes are being shifted away from counters and paperwork.

The connectivity numbers tell a parallel story of rising demand and wider reach. Fixed broadband subscriptions climbed to 599,000 in 2025, up from 525,000 in 2021. Fibre subscriptions nearly doubled to 356,000, from 184,000, while fixed 5G subscriptions rose to 220,000, from 76,000, as households in newly served areas opted for high-speed access.Mobile remains the country’s most-used connection layer. Total mobile subscriptions rose to 6.42 million in 2025 from 5.97 million in 2021, according to the briefing.On the ground, rollout indicators suggest the expansion is no longer incremental.

Fibre “homes passed” — a common measure of network readiness — rose to 957,000 units in 2025 from 625,000 in 2021.

The number of 5G base stations jumped to 6,271 from 1,587, underlining the pace of deployment.The authority also pointed to service performance, citing open-source measurements that put average download speeds in 2025 at about 91 Mbps for mobile data and 113 Mbps for fixed services.Consumer data showed a drop in complaints filed with service providers to 366,254 in 2025 from 574,777 in 2021. Escalated complaints to the regulator stood at 1,510 in 2025, while the share of escalated cases closed within 14 working days rose to 68%, up from 36% in 2021 — a signal, the briefing suggested, of tighter case handling.Postal activity also expanded, reflecting the rise of delivery-driven commerce. Domestic items rose to 4.38 million in 2025 from 1.52 million in 2021.

International outbound items increased to 435,000 from 346,000, while inbound items reached 3.24 million, up from 0.94 million.On workforce localisation, the regulator said Omanisation reached 94% among licensed telecom operators in 2025, compared with 73% in postal services and 46% among authorised contractors. It also recorded 183 violations in 2025, with total fines of 1,042,024 Omani rials, the briefing showed

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