Muscat – The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Oman has highlighted the critical role of high-quality internal building connections in ensuring reliable telecommunications services in residential and commercial properties. Poor internal wiring has been identified as a leading source of complaints from subscribers across Oman’s governorates.
To address this, the TRA launched a media awareness campaign urging building owners and developers to adopt the Authority’s technical guidelines for internal wiring. These standards vary according to building type, including single-storey residences, multi-storey apartments, commercial buildings, and integrated residential complexes.
The TRA emphasized that adherence to these guidelines ensures robust internal network infrastructure, facilitating Oman’s digital transformation and enabling modern buildings to support evolving communication services and smart home technologies. Non-compliance can result in poor service coverage and degraded user experience.
For single-storey residential buildings, the TRA recommends using Category 6 (CAT-6) or higher copper cables extending from the main distribution box to all communication sockets, with dedicated cables for each Wi-Fi access point to optimize coverage. Additional RJ45 cables are advised for televisions, security cameras, and external access points to enable full smart home integration.
In multi-storey residential buildings, a main distribution box should be installed on the ground floor, linked to distribution boxes on each floor via ascending channels. Larger buildings are encouraged to have dedicated communications rooms and distribution boxes for each unit, connected through cable channels.
Commercial buildings must provide dedicated communications rooms to accommodate higher service demands, replacing traditional distribution boxes. Residential complexes require a central communications room connected by ducts to all units, using fibre optic cables to ensure efficient, high-quality data transmission.
The TRA underscored that quality internal connections are vital for fast, reliable in-building networks, supporting future electronic services, and meeting rising demand driven by digital transformation. For smart homes, such infrastructure is essential for integrating lighting, security, entertainment, and other smart systems into a cohesive environment.
