Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has introduced a regulatory framework for number portability.
This new framework is designed to make it faster and easier for mobile users and fixed-line users to switch operators. The main goal is to ensure that users do not lose their existing phone numbers when they switch providers.
The updated rules come after the rollout of an automated portability system. This system is managed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
It is part of an effort to modernise the telecom sector in the Sultanate. The same effort also includes oversight of licensed operators.
By setting fixed timelines for processing switch requests the regulator is trying to make the process more efficient. The automation of much of the transfer process is also a part of the plan.
The regulator hopes to eliminate the delays that have long been a problem for customers trying to change providers.
Officials said the goal is to give consumers greater freedom to pick operators based on pricing, network quality and coverage, thereby sharpening competition across Oman’s telecom market.
The new framework spells out clear obligations and rights for both licensed operators and subscribers, and is intended to raise transparency while reinforcing the TRA’s supervisory role over the sector.
Number portability itself is not new to Oman; the service was first introduced in 2006, with the TRA issuing its initial set of operator obligations in 2008.
But the regulator noted that the market has since grown substantially, with more licensed players entering the field, exposing gaps in the older rules that needed addressing.
Chief among the issues identified by the TRA were processing delays that undercut the efficiency of the switching process.
The newly automated, centralised system is intended to close those gaps, offering what officials describe as a faster, fairer and more transparent mechanism for transferring numbers between providers.
The TRA said the reform is also aimed at boosting public confidence in Oman’s telecom market and ensuring the regulatory environment keeps pace with the sector’s continued expansion.
