Oman to have eight digit phone numbers

Oman will soon shift to eight digit telephone numbers as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is all set to allow another operator in the country.

The TRA decision will also pave the way for large scale expansion of the fixed, mobile as well as prepaid mobile phone connections in the country.

Omantel is currently the sole service provider but the process to deregulate the telecommunication services has begun. A new player is expected to start providing services in the country soon as a TRA decision is awaited after final bid by some regional and multinational players.

With the entry of a new provider, the number of mobile lines is expected to go up drastically hence the decision to change fixed, mobile and prepaid phone numbers to eight digits. Currently, most phones in the country, provided at present by Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), have six digits with seven digits in some areas in Muscat.

"With the potential for the future introduction of competition into the sector, it is a requirement that all future operators have equivalent access to the numbering resources and that they can receive allocations from within the appropriate plan," stated a TRA press release.

"The existing national numbering plan is critically short of capacity and requires reform. The changes adopted within the plan to implement eight-digit numbering scheme has been designed to create both additional capacity and to ensure, as far as possible, flexibility to allow unhindered development of the national numbering plan in the future," the statement further said.

The TRA statement also said that the current structured allocation of number groups is exhausted and too many exchanges are sharing same lower levels.