Business caller ID feature to be launched soon: TRA

Muscat: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that it will soon introduce a business caller identification feature to enhance protection against fraudulent calls and leverage technology to boost trust.

The announcement was made during TRA’s annual media briefing, held under the theme “We Invest in Opportunities and Accelerate Building an Enhanced Digital Society," which highlighted the achievements of 2024 in the telecommunications and postal services sectors.

Eng. Omar Hamdan Al Ismaili, CEO of TRA, stated that the authority will soon issue new regulations to ensure the accuracy of billing systems used by telecom companies in Oman.

He noted that telecom sector statistics show a 7% increase in mobile subscriptions in 2024, reaching 7.5 million. IoT subscriptions surged by 72% to 1.1 million, while fixed broadband grew by 2%, and 5G stations expanded by 12%.

Additionally, 6,500 stations were upgraded from 3G to 4G and 5G across all governorates, with 545 new 5G stations established in 2024—bringing the total to 5,856, a 13% growth.

He pointed out that high-speed fixed broadband coverage now reaches 90% of residential units, while internet coverage in government schools stands at 100%, with 97% having high-speed fixed broadband.

Eng. Al Ismaili reported that total telecom sector revenues in 2024 reached approximately RO 920 million, a 4% increase, while licensed postal service providers saw a 3% rise in revenues to RO 27.2 million.

He emphasized that this growth reflects broader economic expansion and the diversification of services offered by these companies.

The number of licensed telecom service providers rose by 9% to 24 companies, while authorized telecom service firms increased to 399—a 63% rise, with 72% being small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

In the postal sector, licensed companies grew by 21% to 74, 80% of which are SMEs.

International inbound postal shipments surged by 60% in 2024, reaching 3.2 million.

As far as Omanization rates are concerned, in the telecom sector, it reached 93%, while postal services achieved 71% by the end of 2024.

Eng. Al Ismaili noted that TRA has advanced locally in meeting government digital transformation requirements. Internationally, Oman climbed 26 places to rank 22nd in the ICT Infrastructure Index and is among the top 28 countries globally for average mobile data download speeds.