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The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announced Decision No. 1511/25/2/36/2026 on the regulation of promotional calls, service messages and value-added services, according to a Times of Oman report. The rules require explicit consent for marketing communications, mandate easy opt-out mechanisms for consumers and restrict such calls and messages solely to the 8am-9pm window Oman time. Licensed operators must also verify sender identities and prevent spoofing or fraudulent transmissions when dealing with international messaging traffic. The authority further obliges providers to develop technical systems that detect and block intrusive or spam content while encouraging data sharing among operators to improve enforcement.
Customer data protection forms a central pillar of the TRA framework, which prohibits licensed operators from sharing user information with any local or international parties without prior authority approval. Operators are required to put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure personal data against misuse. The regulation additionally demands that promotional messages carry identifiers clearly reflecting the sender’s legal or trade name so recipients can immediately recognise marketing content. Service providers must obtain specific approvals before offering value-added or recurring subscription services and may use them only for authorised purposes.
Entities covered by the decision have six months to align their operations with the new obligations, the Times of Oman reported. Consumers can now block promotional communications from all senders or from selected short codes through straightforward mechanisms supplied by their operators. The rules also establish unified reporting channels for users whose opt-out requests are ignored. National Centre for Statistics and Information figures placed total mobile telecommunications subscriptions at 8.324 million by the end of June 2026, reflecting a 1.3 percent increase from the previous year and underscoring the broad reach of the updated safeguards.
Financial penalties for violations range from 500 to 30,000 Omani rials depending on severity, with the TRA retaining the right to impose higher fines for repeated breaches. The authority’s decision builds on earlier enforcement actions against illegal telecom equipment sales that the TRA said sought to protect consumer interests and data privacy. Cooperation between operators and the regulator is expected to strengthen detection of fraudulent activity that has previously targeted Omani users.
A Mordor Intelligence assessment valued Oman’s telecom mobile network operator market at 2.86 billion U.S. dollars in 2026 and projected expansion at a compound annual growth rate of 5.88 percent through 2031. That growth trajectory, driven by rising 5G adoption and enterprise digitalisation, coincides with the TRA’s push to maintain consumer trust in an expanding digital environment. The regulator has previously ranked improvements in service quality and privacy controls among its strategic priorities for the sector.
The updated rules arrive against a backdrop of increasing consumer complaints about unsolicited communications, although specific recent complaint volumes were not disclosed in the TRA announcement. Operators must now ensure all promotional material remains distinguishable from ordinary service messages, further enhancing transparency. The framework ultimately aims to balance commercial needs with individual rights to privacy and uninterrupted personal time outside the designated hours.
