The evolution of the space sector in Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is embarking on a long-term development strategy known as Oman Vision 2040. The strategy has various national objectives. At the forefront is diversifying the sources of national income away from national resources, mainly oil and gas exports.This objective will be realized through various initiatives, one of which is the adoption and localization of advanced technologies to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness of the economic sectors.

All public and private entities are playing active roles in realizing the vision of Oman 2040. The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and IT (MTCIT), which was established by Royal Decree 90/2020, is a major contributor to the vision through its two economic sectors: logistics and ICT.

To enhance the contribution of the ICT sector to the objectives of Vision 2040 in a strategically coordinated fashion, MTCIT has launched the Digital Economy Programme in 2021, which includes the efforts of various digital sectors including space, AI, cybersecurity, electronic commerce, and digital infrastructure. This programme aims at enhancing the contribution of the digital sector to the overall economy to 10% of the overall GDP by 2040.

For this, MTCIT established the national space programme to develop and enhance this sector in the wider economy. This article will detail how the space sector evolves in the national economy

Oman Space Sector, 2020 onward

Until August 2020, the space sector was not considered a standalone economic sector in the country. Many national space-based efforts have taken place before 2020, including the government’s initiative to launch a national satellite. Moreover, all other sectors have been benefiting from space-based services and applications.

Despite all that, the sector was not defined in the economy, and its contribution to the economy was not captured. The major space-based services across all sectors are telecommunications services like broadband connectivity, mobile and fixed communications, and VSAT. Moreover, various public and private entities have been engaged in sector activities, directly or indirectly, but all those efforts were scattered and there was no national champion to orchestrate the development of the sector.

As such, the result was a lack of proper governance in the sector, a lack of efforts in integration and alignment, and many duplications across various entities.

By 2020, when MTCIT was established by Royal Decree 90L2020, the National Center for Space, Advanced Technologies, and AI was established in the ministry. The royal decree mandates MTCIT with various tasks to develop the space sector. The establishment of this centre is the first official recognition of the space sector as a standalone sector along with advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. The establishment of this sector shows the government’s seriousness to develop and enable the space sector in the economy and also to benefit from its technological advancements. MTCIT operationalized the Centre into two programmes: the National Space Program and the National AI and Advanced Technologies Programme. MTCIT established the national space programme to execute MTCIT’s mandates for the space sector.

Since its establishment, the space programme has taken various strategic initiatives to develop the sector, including determining the key players in the local space sector and identifying the efforts that have been executed by the stakeholders to create an integration and alignment mechanism to achieve national objectives.

Following this, and to develop the sector through constructive and coordinated efforts, the space programme developed the national space policy in partnership with an internationally specialized consultant.

The policy defined the future direction of the sector and its vision and proposed multiple initiatives and projects to realize the vision. The details of the development of the national space policy and its executive programme will be detailed in the next phases.