Oman has emerged as one of the Gulf’s most dynamic mobile markets, driven by intensified competition, regulatory reform, and sustained network investment. With three mobile operators—Omantel, Ooredoo, and Vodafone—alongside MVNOs Friendi and Renna, the country has seen rapid performance gains reflected in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index.
Regulatory strategies by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) have played a central role. Infrastructure-sharing policies enabled Vodafone’s entry in 2022, while mid- and low-band spectrum allocations and a mandated 3G sunset accelerated 5G rollout. As a result, 5G population coverage reached 91 percent in 2024.
Operator investment surged between 2021 and 2025, expanding Oman’s 5G site count to 6,671 by mid-2025. Median download speeds across all technologies more than doubled to 121.84 Mbps by the end of 2025, while 5G speeds reached 259.94 Mbps. These gains lifted Oman five places to 18th globally in Ookla’s rankings.
Omantel and Ooredoo continue to lead in 5G performance, largely due to stronger spectrum holdings, particularly in the 3.3–4.2 GHz mid-band. Vodafone’s more limited spectrum constrains its download speeds, though its use of the 700 MHz band has delivered competitive upload performance.
Oman also demonstrated exceptional network resilience during the September 2025 Red Sea cable cuts. Leveraging over 20 subsea cables and terrestrial links, operators rerouted traffic with minimal service disruption. The impact on gaming latency and web loading times was significantly lower than in neighboring Gulf markets.
Vodafone’s market entry reshaped competition in a previously duopolistic landscape. Mobile subscriptions rose from 5.7 million in early 2022 to over 6.6 million by Q2 2025, pushing penetration to 125.5 percent and reinforcing competition as a catalyst for performance and investment.
