To enable the widespread uptake of Internet of Things (IoT) related services in the Sultanate of Oman, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has launched a new number level (4) dedicated to IoT services, consisting of twelve digits, to meet the needs of IoT service providers.
In a statement, the Authority set the move aims to support the deployment of emerging technologies and enable the adoption of IoT. The initiative will also enable the efficient management of of the National Plan for Telecom Numbers, promote the digital economy and investment opportunities, and develop the level of services in the country.
“The Authority seeks to enable Internet of Things services on a large scale in the Sultanate of Oman, due to its steady increase. To this end, it recently issued a directive to licensees on international roaming Internet of Things services, to enhance the security level of these services, and to protect the personal data of beneficiaries,” it stated.
The advisory follows a review of regulatory challenges and feedback from stakeholders in the telecommunications sector, it said.
The Authority attaches great importance to enhancing the security level of these promising future services, as it has also prepared "technical controls for the security of Internet services" of Things, to apply the best practices taken regionally and internationally in this field.
These controls include six mandatory security areas and thirteen optional security areas, such as encryption, data storage and protection, governance, privacy, system security, vulnerability management, and update management.
As many as four IoT service providers have been licensed to provide IoT services as of end-2022. The number of subscriptions (machine to machine) in these services reached more than 364,000.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
