Muscat: The National Center for Statistics and Information’s latest data significantly boosted Oman’s digital connectivity domain. The total number of mobile phone subscriptions surged by 6.1%, reaching a staggering 7,205,216 subscriptions by the end of February 2024, compared to the corresponding period in 2023. Notably, prepaid mobile phone subscriptions saw a 5% upsurge, totalling 5.3 million lines, while postpaid mobile lines witnessed a notable 9.3% increase, reaching 1.8 million lines.

Simultaneously, the fixed Internet sector experienced a commendable growth trajectory, with subscribers reaching 571.6 thousand, marking a 5.6% surge compared to the same period in 2023. This included 569.9 thousand subscriptions to fixed broadband services exceeding 256 kilobits per second and 1.7 thousand subscriptions for low-speed Internet, encompassing telephone calls and rented Internet lines.

The statistics further highlighted the robust mobile broadband Internet services adoption, totaling 5.9 million subscriptions by February 2024. Additionally, Oman’s international Internet capacity reached 3.1 million megabytes, complemented by approximately 5.2 thousand local leased circuits, with 116 beneficiaries of telex lines as of the end of February.

Delving into fixed-line services, the total subscriptions climbed to 583.6 thousand lines, a 3.5% increase from February 2023. The surge in fixed-line telephone subscriptions using Internet Protocol technology was noteworthy, escalating by 10.5% to reach 301 thousand subscriptions. Analog fixed telephone lines, encompassing prepaid and postpaid, totalled 225.5 thousand subscriptions, with Muscat Governorate leading at 68.4%, Dhofar at 7.9%, and North Al Batinah at 7.3%.

Furthermore, the data reflected 49.6 thousand subscriptions to Integrated Services Digital Network channels, 6.8 thousand public telephone subscriptions, and 666 fixed wireless subscriptions, showcasing a comprehensive growth spectrum in Oman’s digital infrastructure.