Oman Speed Test - Check Omantel & Ooredoo Speed

Fiber Broadband

Oman Broadband Company (OBC) is the foundation of the Sultanate's fixed broadband strategy. Founded in 2014 as a fully government-owned entity, OBC builds and maintains the national fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network using GPON technology. The company provides wholesale open access to all retail ISPs on equal terms.

This model prevents duplicate fiber builds and allows Omantel, Ooredoo, and Awasr to compete on service rather than infrastructure. Fiber optic coverage expanded 64% in residential units between 2023 and 2025, reaching approximately 90% of housing units by late 2024.

Mobile Networks

Mobile infrastructure covers the populated coastal strip and major inland cities. Omantel launched 5G services in Muscat and surrounding areas, followed by Ooredoo Oman with its own 5G rollout. Both operators use 4G LTE as the primary mobile broadband technology nationwide.

Tower sharing agreements reduce deployment costs in less populated governorates. The mobile network serves 8.05 million total subscriptions across a population of 5.3 million, reflecting the large expatriate workforce carrying multiple SIM cards.

Cable Broadband

Oman holds a strong position as a submarine cable hub connecting Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. The AAE-1 cable (Asia-Africa-Europe 1) is a 25,000 km system linking Hong Kong to France through Oman.

The Oman Australia Cable (OAC), operational since September 2022, spans 9,800 km with 48 Tbps total capacity and delivers 97ms latency between Perth and Muscat. Gulf Bridge International connects all GCC states through Oman.

International Connectivity

These cables give the Sultanate diverse international bandwidth and position Muscat as a regional data transit point. Omantel operates the primary cable landing station, providing wholesale international capacity to other operators.

Urban Areas

Muscat Governorate and the Al Batinah coastal strip receive the strongest broadband coverage. OBC prioritized fiber deployment in high-density urban areas first, giving Muscat residents access to gigabit plans from all three retail ISPs. Sohar, Nizwa, and Salalah also have fiber coverage through OBC infrastructure.

Urban subscribers can choose between Omantel, Ooredoo, and Awasr for fiber plans up to 1 Gbps. 5G coverage is concentrated in Muscat and select parts of the Al Batinah coast.

Remote and Underserved

Interior and desert regions face slower connectivity. Governorates like Ad Dhahirah, Al Wusta, and Musandam rely primarily on 4G LTE mobile broadband. Fixed wireless solutions from Omantel provide home internet in areas where fiber has not yet reached.

Rural Areas

OBC has ongoing expansion projects targeting smaller towns and semi-rural communities. The terrain presents challenges in mountainous areas near Jebel Akhdar and the Hajar range, where tower placement is difficult.

Satellite internet from providers like Starlink is beginning to fill gaps in the most remote areas, though adoption remains limited due to cost.

Omantel

Omantel is the largest provider in Oman with 54.4% of fixed broadband and 40.2% of mobile subscribers. Founded in 1966, the company is 51% government-owned. Omantel offers Baiti fiber plans from OMR 20 per month (100 Mbps) to OMR 35 per month (1 Gbps), all with unlimited data.

The company

The company operates the primary submarine cable landing station and provides wholesale international bandwidth. Omantel also offers 5G home internet and mobile broadband across the Sultanate.

Ooredoo Oman

Ooredoo Oman is the second major operator, providing fiber, 5G, and 4G services. Ooredoo's fiber home plans start at OMR 24 per month and scale to OMR 95 per month for gigabit speeds. The company competes aggressively on mobile data pricing and has expanded 5G coverage in Muscat. Ooredoo uses OBC wholesale infrastructure for fiber delivery, the same as Omantel.

Awasr

Awasr is a newer retail fiber provider focused on high-speed home and business broadband. Awasr recorded the fastest average broadband speeds in Oman during Q3 2025 at 131.3 Mbps download and 57.1 Mbps upload. Plans start from OMR 27 per month with unlimited data.

Awasr offers speeds from 20 Mbps to 1 Gbps for residential customers and dedicated business packages. The company operates exclusively on OBC fiber infrastructure.

Entry-level fiber in Oman starts at OMR 15 per month from Omantel for a basic capped plan (20 GB). Unlimited fiber begins at OMR 20 per month for 100 Mbps from Omantel and OMR 24 per month from Ooredoo. Gigabit plans cost OMR 35 (Omantel) to OMR 95 (Ooredoo) per month. Awasr starts at OMR 27 per month with unlimited data.

All prices are subject to 5% VAT. Installation fees range from OMR 10 to OMR 15 depending on the provider and contract length. Most plans require a 12-month commitment.

At a median monthly salary of OMR 1,500, an unlimited 100 Mbps plan at OMR 20 represents 1.3% of income. A gigabit plan at OMR 35 takes 2.3% of monthly income. These figures are reasonable by GCC standards but higher than the ITU affordability target of 2% of gross national income for entry-level broadband.

Low-income expatriate workers earning OMR 300-500 per month face a higher burden, with basic internet costing 4-7% of their income. Mobile data packages offer a cheaper alternative at OMR 5-15 per month for prepaid users.

5G networks launched in Oman through both Omantel and Ooredoo, with coverage concentrated in Muscat and expanding to Al Batinah. Median mobile download speeds increased 61.6% year-over-year to 133.84 Mbps by late 2025, driven largely by 5G adoption.

Fiber optic subscriptions grew 9% in 2025 to 356,897 connections, reflecting the shift from mobile-only to fixed broadband. OBC's open-access fiber model allows rapid retail competition without duplicate infrastructure builds.

Oman Vision 2040 targets increasing the digital economy's GDP contribution from 2% to 10% by 2040. The government aims to automate 80% of core services by end of 2025 and achieve 80% digital transformation across priority sectors by 2030. These targets drive continued investment in broadband infrastructure, particularly fiber expansion to underserved governorates.