About to travel to Oman and wondering what is the best way to stay connected and avoiding high roaming costs? Buying a local prepaid sim card for Oman is easy, simple and fast. In this guide we will tell you all about it: the best 4G/5G mobile network, up to date prices as per July 2022, my recommendation, a vlog about my experiences and even info about international and e-sim cards for Oman.
On my journey to visit every country in the world Oman was listed as country no. 121. Traveling in Oman is amazing, although I would recommend you to get a car. It will make it much easier to see the best places to visit in Oman.
Whenever I get to a new country the first thing I do is buying a local prepaid sim card. Therefore on my blog you can find prepaid sim card guides from all over the world: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Jordan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Panama, USA, Canada, Moscow, Paris, Europe and many more.
When planning your next adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark this website!
Why buying a sim card in Oman
When looking for ways to stay connected abroad I am sure you already found out that buying a local prepaid sim card is always the cheapest way to do so. Don’t get stuck with high roaming costs or slow overseas data plans. Did you know that overseas data plans cap their speed? With a local Oman sim card you are guaranteed the best network connection and fastest data speed.
Being connected makes traveling to Oman much more convenient. Oman seems a small country but distances are far between the cool places to visit. Road tripping in Oman is popular but without a data connection on your phone it would be pretty challenging. Simply think about finding nearby places or getting directions from a navigation app and so on.
If you don’t prefer to swap your sim card for an Oman sim card then you might want to look into a portable WiFi device that allows you to have internet while traveling. Click on the link to read my honest review about it.
Some phones support dual sim, unfortunately iPhone does NOT support dual sim so you will have to swap sim cards and you temporarily lose your phone number from back home. However, there are now also e-sim cards for Oman. More about it later.
Also don’t rely on public WiFi. Most hotels in Oman offer free reliable and fast WiFi however, surfing the internet on public WiFi is through an UNSECURED connection. The use of a VPN is recommended in these cases.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends an Omantal sim card for traveling in Oman. They have the most extensive mobile network and for $13 you can get 8 GB data for 1 week.
Another great alternative is a global sim card with data. They are slightly more expensive but have many advantages. Check out Traveltomtom's complete review of the best international sim card with data in 2022 and pick the one that suits your trip to the Middle East.
E-sim card for Oman
If your phone supports the use of an e-sim card then this is another option to stay connected when traveling to Oman. The following e-sim cards for Oman can be ordered directly on the Airalo website:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $9 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $18 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $27 USD
Click here to order one of the above e-sim cards for Oman or find more info about it. With an e-sim card you keep your own phone number from home.
Where to buy a sim card for Oman
Muscat International Airport
The easiest, fastest and most convenient place to buy a sim card for Oman is on arrival at Muscat International Airport. When walking into the Arrivals hall you will walk straight into 3 mobile shops: Renna Mobile, Ooredoo and Omantel. For a complete guide for buying a sim card at Muscat Airport click on the link. You will also find a vlog about my arrival at Muscat airport in the link.
Shopping Malls in Muscat
In case you missed the opportunity to buy a sim card at Muscat Airport we recommend you to go to one of the bigger shopping malls. Here you will find the official mobile phone stores that can register a new Oman prepaid sim card for you.
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Mobile internet providers in Oman
Until the end of 2021 there were only 2 mobile internet providers in Oman: Omantel and Ooredoo. However, since 2022 Vodafone Oman officially entered the market as its license got approved. On top of these 3 network operators there are two MVNO’s in Oman: Friendi Mobile and Renna Mobile.
All the above providers sell prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Registration process
When buying a prepaid sim card in Oman you will need to provide your passport. A copy will be taken in the store and the new Oman sim card will be registered under your name and passport number.
Registering a sim card in Oman only takes a couple minutes and works based on plug and play. Meaning you put the new sim card in your phone and you are instantly online. No need to wait for activation.
Be aware that using an Oman sim card in your phone is only working if you have an unlocked phone. If you are unsure about this, contact your provider in your home country before your trip to Oman.
Prices prepaid sim cards in Oman
Omantel
Omantel is the biggest mobile internet provider in Oman and they offer the following prepaid sim card packages:
- 5.00 OMR = 7 GB data + 1 GB social media + 50 minutes valid for 1 week - $13
All the following sim card deals are valid for 4 weeks:
- 4 OMR = 2 GB data + 500 MB social media + 50 flex minutes - $10.4
- 6 OMR = 3 GB data + 1.5 GB social media + 100 flex minutes - $15.6
- 8 OMR = 8 GB data + 2 GB social media + 250 flex minutes - $20.8
- 12 OMR = 15 GB data + 300 flex minutes - $31.2
- 18 OMR = 30 GB data + 600 flex minutes - $46.8
Omantel charges 2.1 OMR ($5.5) extra if you want an e-sim card instead of a physical sim card. Check the Omantel website for more info about their prepaid packages.
Ooredoo Oman
Ooredoo is the second biggest mobile internet operator in Oman after Omantel. They offer a wide range of prepaid sim card deals at their stores:
- 2.00 OMR = 1 GB data + 500 MB social media + 50 minutes valid for 1 week - $5.2
- 5.25 OMR = 4 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 sms valid for 10 days - $13.7
- 10.5 OMR = 10 GB data + 50 minutes + 50 sms valid for 15 days - $27.3
- 5.00 OMR = 7 GB data + 1 GB social media + 50 minutes valid for 1 week - $13
- 9.00 OMR = 8 GB data + 2 GB social media + 250 minutes valid for 4 weeks - $23.4
- 18.0 OMR = 30 GB data + 600 local minutes valid for 4 weeks - $46.8
Some Ooredoo Oman prepaid packages include international minutes however, these are only applicable to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you want an Ooredoo e-sim cards you will be charged an extra fee of 1 OMR ($2.6). Check out the Ooredoo Oman website for more info.
Vodafone Oman
Vodafone has currently a so called launch offer:
- 9 OMR = 77 GB data + 777 minutes + 777 sms valid for 1 month - $23.4
Seems like an offer too good to be true, right? Well, it is just a launch offer as Vodafone Oman literally only started operating in January 2022. Does Traveltomtom recommend Vodafone Oman at the moment? NOPE! More about it later in my conclusion and Oman mobile internet entwork review.
There is not much info yet on the Vodafone Oman website but here is the link.
Renna Mobile
Renna Mobile operates on the network of Omantel and offer the following Oman prepaid sim card deals which are valid for 30 days, see the above photo.
- 2 OMR = 1 GB data + 25 minutes - $5.2
- 3 OMR = 3 GB data - $7.8
- 9 OMR = 8 GB data + 25 minutes - $23.4
- 16 OMR = 22 GB data + 350 minutes - $41.6
As you can see the Renna Mobile prepaid sim card deals are not really shocking, meaning that they have great offers. You will find Renna Mobile stores randomly around Muscat, but there are very few. Renna Mobile does NOT offer an Oman e-sim card, only physical sim cards. If you want more info check out the Renna Mobile website.
Friendi Mobile
Friendi Mobile operates on the network of Ooredoo and offer the above prepaid sim card packages.
- 3 OMR = 2 GB data
- 5 OMR = 5 GB data
As you can see also the Friendi Mobile sim card deals are not really interesting either. For more info check out the Friendi Mobile website.
Best 4G/5G network in Oman
You don’t want to lose phone signal as soon as you drive out of Muscat right? Therefore looking at the mobile internet coverage for Oman is just as important to find out what is the best prepaid sim card for Oman.
Is there 5G in Oman?
Yes there is 5G in Oman, but it is not that wide spread yet. On top of that prepaid sim cards are not yet connected to 5G and can only use 4G. Omantel was the first to roll out 5G in the country and has the largest 5G network.
At the time of writing this article Vodafone Oman just entered the market and there was no information available about the Vodafone Oman mobile network coverage. Let's have a look at the Oman network coverage maps.
Omantel 4G/5G network coverage map
Ooredoo Oman 4G/5G network coverage map
From the above network coverage maps we can see that Omantel has a more advanced mobile internet network and the best 4G/5G network in Oman.
Best prepaid sim card for Oman in 2022
Considering all the above information about Oman sim cards we come up with a couple conclusions.
First off, the Vodafone Oman prepaid sim card deals are temporary at the moment as they are a completely new mobile operator in Oman. Despite having amazing offers I would still NOT recommend Vodafone Oman at the moment. May be in the future yes, but there is no proper information available yet about the 4G/5G network. Where can you find a Vodafone Oman signal, only in Muscat?
When there is more information available about Vodafone Oman this blog article will of course be updated immediately!
Renna Mobile and Friendi Mobile don't have any shocking sim card deals to lure costumers. In fact for the bigger data packages you get better value at Ooredoo and Omantel. Also Friendi Mobile and Renna Mobile stores are not easy to find around the country and therefore I would also not recommend one of these two operators.
So we have narrowed it down to Ooredoo and Omantel and since prices are the exact same for both providers and Omantel has a more advanced 4G/5G network I come to the conclusion that Omantel is the best prepaid sim card in Oman in 2022!
If you want to watch a quick video about buying a sim card in Oman then check out the below!
Buying an Oman sim card online
If you want to skip all the hassle of buying a sim card in Oman you can also order one on the internet and get it shipped to your home address before your trip to Oman. It is convenient and easy but is more expensive of course. Here are two options I found on the Simoptions website:
- 6 GB for 10 days = $19.90 USD
- 5 GB for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to directly order one of the above sim cards for Oman or get more info about it. These international sim cards are automatically activated from its first use. Also last reminder that you can arrange everything directly online by ordering an e-sim card for Oman.
I hope all the above tips for buying a sim card in Oman were helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions, leave me a comment below and I will try to help you out.
For some Oman travel inspiration check out my YouTube channel or Instagram page @traveltomtom. As per July 2022 I have visited more than 135 countries around the world, so many more to go.
Enjoy your trip to Oman!
