ICT

Developments in Oman’s telecoms sector in 2017 were centred on the announcement of a third mobile network operator licence and an increase in royalty rates from January 1, which led to a 35-40% drop in net profits that year for the two existing operators, Omantel and Ooredoo. With market penetration in the mobile sector at close to 150%, the sultanate’s third licence is expected to significantly tighten market competition. Meanwhile operators in Oman’s IT sector have recently made big strides forward, moving beyond infrastructure to develop applications and applied business solutions for increasingly sophisticated customers. The government has made it clear that ICT is a key priority in improving the standing of Omani businesses in the international arena, and in 2017 the Information Technology Authority was developing a 2030 Digital Oman Strategy (eOman) focused on developing IT skills, digital literacy and new technologies.