JEDDAH: Oman's telecom sector experienced significant growth of 15.2 percent by May, marked by an increase in mobile subscriptions to 8.13 million and a substantial rise in Internet of Things (IoT) connections to 1.55 million.

This surge in digital expansion is driven by the adoption of smart technology across various sectors such as logistics, utilities, and manufacturing, as reported by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI).The growth in IoT subscriptions, specifically, saw a remarkable increase of 118.7 percent.

The expanding digital infrastructure in Oman plays a central role in Vision 2040, focusing on innovation, economic diversification, and enhanced public services.

Furthermore, the growth in fiber optic and fixed 5G subscriptions indicates a shift towards advanced connectivity.According to Mordor Intelligence, a market research firm, this momentum is supported by substantial public investment.

In 2022, the government announced a $441.5 million digital transformation initiative aimed at modernizing the public sector and providing seamless smart services to citizens and businesses.

This commitment aligns with the Digital Economy Program under Oman Vision 2040, which projects the digital economy's contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) to rise from 3 percent in 2025 to 5 percent in 2030, ultimately reaching 10 percent by 2040.The sultanate's digital transformation efforts are further emphasized through the Government Digital Transformation Program, known as Tahawul.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology is spearheading these initiatives, including a goal to digitize approximately 80 percent of services by 2025, laying the groundwork for long-term technological progress.Data from NCSI also revealed that postpaid mobile subscriptions increased by 5.6 percent to over 1.23 million by the end of May, compared to the same period last year.

Prepaid mobile subscriptions also rose by 3.1 percent to more than 5.33 million.

Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions reached 5.41 million, while fixed broadband subscriptions grew by 2.6 percent year-on-year to 588,015.Within the fixed Internet segment, fiber optic services expanded by 11.4 percent to 339,279 subscriptions.

Fixed 5G connections increased by 2.1 percent to 215,850.

However, legacy technologies experienced a decline, with fixed 4G subscriptions decreasing by 38.1 percent to 19,654, digital user lines dropping by 50.8 percent to 11,806, and satellite Internet accounts shrinking by 2.1 percent to 653.Additionally, other Internet services such as powerline, Ethernet, and leased lines contracted by 12 percent, totaling only 773 subscriptions by the end of the fifth month.The progress in Oman's digital transformation aligns with Vision 2040's priorities and is supported by major digital infrastructure projects.

The upcoming unified e-government portal and the National Digital Integration Platform, which has processed over 1.4 billion data transactions, are key examples.

The surge in digital government transactions, reaching nearly 27 million in 2024, reflects the growing public adoption of smart services.

By 2025, it is expected that 80 percent of essential government services will be fully online.