If you’re setting up home internet in Muscat as an expat, the good news is that Oman’s broadband infrastructure is genuinely impressive. Fibre optic connections cover most of Muscat, speeds regularly hit 100Mbps to 1Gbps, and monthly costs start around OMR 20 — which is less than many expats pay back home. The not-so-good news? Installation can take one to two weeks, and if you don’t arrange it early, you’ll be relying on your phone’s data plan for longer than you’d like.
This guide covers everything you need to know: which provider to choose, what the plans actually cost, how to sign up, and what to do in the gap before your connection goes live.
Quick Answer: Which Provider Should You Choose?
There are three main home internet providers in Muscat, plus a newer satellite option. Here’s the short version:
Omantel Baiti Fibre — the default recommendation for most expats. Largest fibre network, most reliable, plans from OMR 20/month for 100Mbps. If you want a straightforward setup and dependable speeds, start here.
Ooredoo Super Fibre — a strong alternative, especially if Omantel coverage isn’t available at your address. Plans from OMR 24/month. Competitive speeds and often runs promotions for new subscribers.
Awasr Fibrenet — the newer challenger that has consistently recorded the fastest average speeds in Oman. Plans from around OMR 27/month. Growing coverage across Muscat and worth checking if available in your area.
Starlink (satellite) — officially approved and operating in Oman since March 2025. Primarily designed for remote areas without fibre coverage. Speeds up to 100Mbps. Not a replacement for fibre in Muscat, but an option for villas in outlying areas or if you travel frequently outside the capital.
How Fibre Internet Works in Oman
Oman’s fibre network is built and maintained by Oman Broadband Company (OBC), a government-owned wholesale infrastructure provider. OBC lays the actual fibre cables and then provides open access to retail providers — Omantel, Ooredoo, and Awasr all use the same underlying physical network. This means your choice of provider affects pricing, customer service, and bundled extras, but the raw connection quality is broadly comparable across all three.
Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) coverage is available across most residential areas of Muscat, including Al Mouj, Qurum, Al Khuwair, MQ, Bousher, Ghala, Azaiba, and Seeb. Some older buildings and very new developments may still be on ADSL or VDSL — check availability at your specific address before signing a lease if reliable internet is important to your work.
Omantel Baiti Fibre — The Default Choice
Omantel is Oman’s largest telecoms provider, holding around 54% of the fixed broadband market. Their home internet product is called “Baiti” (meaning “my home” in Arabic), and it’s what the majority of expats end up using.
Baiti Fibre Plans (2026)
| Plan | Speed | Monthly (excl. VAT) | Data |
| Baiti 20 | 100 Mbps | OMR 20 | Unlimited |
| Baiti 25 | 200 Mbps | OMR 25 | Unlimited |
| Baiti 30 | 500 Mbps | OMR 30 | Unlimited |
| Baiti 35 | 1 Gbps | OMR 35 | Unlimited |
Note: All prices are plus 5% VAT. Installation costs OMR 15. A 12 or 24-month contract is required. Plans on 24-month contracts get double the speed at the same price. Subscribers on the OMR 30+ plans receive free Wi-Fi mesh devices and bundled streaming subscriptions (OSN+, Shahid, TOD) through the Baiti Gift Box.
Ooredoo Super Fibre — The Strong Alternative
Ooredoo holds about 27% of the broadband market and is the second-largest provider. Their fibre home product competes directly with Omantel on price and speed, and they frequently run aggressive promotions for new customers.
Ooredoo’s fibre plans start at OMR 24/month for their entry-level package and scale up to OMR 95/month for gigabit speeds. All plans include unlimited data, free Ooredoo fixed-line minutes, and a 10% discount on international calls. Installation costs OMR 10–15 depending on the plan.
Signing up is easy: you can order via WhatsApp (95009500), visit any Ooredoo store, or call their fibre team on 1514. You’ll need your residence card or Civil ID and your property location.
Awasr — The Speed Champion
Awasr is a newer retail fibre provider that holds about 15% of the market, and they’ve built a reputation on speed. Independent testing consistently puts Awasr at the top of Oman’s broadband speed rankings. Their Fibrenet Home plans start from around OMR 27/month with unlimited data, and they offer both 12-month and 24-month contract options.
If raw speed matters to you — for remote work, video conferencing, gaming, or streaming in a household where everyone is online simultaneously — Awasr is worth checking. You can apply via WhatsApp (95854996) or through their website at awasr.om. Coverage is expanding but may not be available in all Muscat neighbourhoods yet, so check your address first.
Starlink — Satellite Internet for Remote Areas
Starlink received its operating licence in Oman via Royal Decree 42/2023 and began offering retail services in March 2025. It provides satellite-based broadband with speeds up to 100Mbps, covering all geographical regions of Oman — including areas where fibre isn’t available.
For most expats living in Muscat proper, Starlink isn’t necessary — fibre is faster, cheaper, and more reliable for everyday use. But if you live in a villa on the outskirts, spend weekends at a remote property, or work in sectors like oil and gas with field operations outside the capital, Starlink fills a real gap. Equipment costs and monthly pricing are higher than fibre, so treat it as a specialist option rather than a default choice.
5G Home Internet — The Plug-and-Play Option
Both Omantel and Ooredoo offer 5G home internet as an alternative to fibre. The appeal is that it’s a plug-and-play setup — no installation appointment, no drilling, no waiting. You get a 5G router, plug it in, and you’re online.
5G coverage in Muscat is solid and expanding. Mobile download speeds in Oman averaged around 134Mbps by late 2025, largely driven by 5G adoption. Omantel’s wireless home broadband plans offer up to 1,000GB of data, and they require a 12 or 24-month contract with a free modem included.
The downside: 5G home internet is generally less stable than fibre for sustained heavy use (large video calls, multiple simultaneous streams) and data caps apply on some plans. It’s a good bridge solution or a reasonable permanent option if fibre isn’t available at your address.
How to Sign Up for Home Internet in Muscat
The process is the same across all three fibre providers:
1. Check coverage at your address. Visit the provider’s website, call their customer line, or message via WhatsApp. Give them your building/villa location.
2. Prepare your documents. You’ll need your residence card (or Civil ID for Omani nationals) and your rental contract or proof of address.
3. Choose your plan and contract length. A 24-month contract typically gives you better speeds or lower installation costs.
4. Schedule installation. A technician will visit to install the router and connect the fibre line. This can take one to two weeks from your order date — don’t leave it until the last minute.
5. Go live. Once installed, your service activates immediately. The provider’s app lets you manage billing, check data usage, and troubleshoot.
What to Use While You Wait for Installation
This is the part most guides leave out, and it catches a lot of new arrivals off guard. If you need reliable internet from day one — for remote work, settling kids into online school portals, or just staying connected — you need a backup plan for those first one to two weeks.
Prepaid 4G/5G mobile hotspot: The quickest option. Buy a prepaid SIM from Omantel or Ooredoo (available at Muscat Airport on arrival) and tether your devices. A SIM with a generous data top-up will cost OMR 5–15 and will get you through the gap. See our SIM card guide for detailed comparisons.
Cafés and co-working spaces: Muscat has a growing number of cafés with reliable WiFi. The Starbucks, Costa, and local coffee shops in Al Mouj, Qurum, and Al Khuwair are popular with remote workers.
Hotel lobbies: If you’re in temporary accommodation initially, most Muscat hotels offer guest WiFi. Some expats work from hotel lobbies during their first week — nobody minds as long as you order a coffee.
VoIP and Video Calls — The Oman Reality
This matters and it’s something most expats only discover after they arrive. Like most Gulf countries, Oman restricts traditional VoIP services. WhatsApp voice calls and Skype calls to telephone numbers are technically blocked.
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet video calls generally work fine over both WiFi and mobile data — it’s the voice-only calls that hit the restriction.
The official workaround is the Ooredoo Talk app, which is completely legal and allows VoIP calls to over 200 destinations. Most expats don’t know it exists and resort to VPN services instead, which sit in a legal grey area. If you rely on voice calls to family back home, Ooredoo Talk is the safest and simplest solution.
What Will Home Internet Cost You Each Month?
For most expat households, you’re looking at OMR 20–35 per month for fibre (plus 5% VAT), depending on the speed you choose. The sweet spot for most families is a 200–500Mbps plan, which runs OMR 25–30/month — enough for multiple devices, 4K streaming, video calls, and working from home simultaneously.
Installation is a one-off cost of OMR 10–15. Early termination fees are typically OMR 50 if you leave before your contract ends — worth knowing if your employment contract is shorter than your internet contract.
If you’re renting a furnished apartment, check with your landlord first. Some landlords include internet in the rent or have an existing connection you can take over. Get this confirmed in writing in your lease to avoid paying for a line you don’t need.
Insider Tips Most Guides Don’t Mention
Apply in your first week. Installation takes one to two weeks. The single most common mistake expats make with home internet is assuming it will be set up in a day or two. Apply the moment you have your rental contract and residence card.
24-month contracts double your speed. Both Omantel and Ooredoo offer double the speed if you commit to a two-year contract at the same monthly price. If you’re planning to stay in Oman for at least two years, this is free extra performance.
Ask about mesh WiFi devices. Muscat villas and larger apartments often have WiFi dead spots. Omantel’s Baiti plans at OMR 30+ include free mesh WiFi devices. If you’re on a lower plan, you can buy your own mesh system (TP-Link Deco and Google Nest are widely available in Muscat electronics shops).
Check if your building already has fibre. Many Muscat apartment buildings are pre-wired for fibre. If the previous tenant had a connection, installation is usually faster because the physical line is already there.
Get landlord permission for new installations. If fibre hasn’t been installed in your building before, the provider may need to run cable into the property. It’s best to get your landlord’s permission before the technician arrives.
Oman’s average broadband speed is excellent. Fixed broadband in Oman averages around 179Mbps download and 158Mbps upload. This is faster than many European countries. If you’re coming from a country with unreliable internet, Muscat will be a pleasant surprise.
Get the Full First-Week Setup Checklist
Home internet is just one piece of your first-week setup. The Daleel Arrival Pack includes a step-by-step setup timeline covering internet, SIM cards, bank accounts, utilities, and neighbourhood tips — everything you need to get settled without the guesswork. Available as an instant-download PDF for OMR 5.