Oman’s Authority for Public Services Regulation has reported full digitisation of utility service delivery and near-complete smart meter deployment across the water sector, as part of a five-year performance review covering 2021 to 2025 that shows strong growth in both consumption and digital infrastructure.
Smart meter adoption reached 99 per cent in the water sector and 80 per cent in electricity, while actual meter readings stood above 97 per cent for both sectors. Electronic payments now account for 78 per cent of all billing transactions, reflecting a shift from manual and cash-based interactions to fully digital customer management. Service digitisation across the authority’s regulated sectors reached 100 per cent over the period.
Electricity subscribers grew by 14 per cent and consumption surged by 27 per cent between 2021 and 2025, driven by Oman’s ongoing economic and urban expansion. Water subscribers rose by 12 per cent and consumption by 13 per cent. Renewable energy’s share of total electricity production reached 9.46 per cent by end of 2025, up from 1.95 per cent in 2021, sufficient to power approximately 155,000 homes.
Consumer protection outcomes improved alongside infrastructure growth. More than 7,000 complaints were resolved in 2025, with OMR 153,000 paid in compensation to over 9,000 subscribers. Customer satisfaction reached 75 per cent, with electricity service delivery averaging 1.17 days and water connections six days.
Total investment across the regulated sectors reached OMR 3.4 billion between 2021 and 2025. Forward investment projections are sharply higher, with OMR 8.8 billion committed for the 2026 to 2030 period, driven primarily by electricity, water and gas infrastructure expansion. Ninety-seven water sector projects worth OMR 966 million are currently underway.
Editor’s Note: Oman’s 99 per cent smart water meter rate and full billing digitisation are benchmarks worth tracking across the GCC, where utilities digitalisation has often advanced more slowly than the telecom sector. The OMR 8.8 billion five-year investment pipeline positions Oman’s utilities sector as a significant market for smart grid, IoT and data management technology vendors operating in the region.
