Oman targets 60% broadband coverage by 2017

The government of Oman is aiming to increase access to broadband services to at least 60% of the Sultanate by 2017, Oman Daily Observer reports. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, government departments, universities, industrial estates and commercial complexes will have access to broadband download speeds of 1Gbps under the plans, while Oman is also aiming to cover 80% of urban areas with download speeds of between 20Mbps and 100Mbps. According to the latest statistics from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Oman was home to 122,124 fixed broadband subscribers at the end of March 2013, up 7.8% from 113,324 three months earlier and translating to a household penetration rate of around 30%, while mobile broadband customers totalled 1.89 million, an increase of 15.4% quarter-on-quarter.