Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Oman

Virtually unknown to all but intrepid travelers until quite recently, Oman is starting to open up to tourism. And what a gift that is to the travel world: the country is a delight for the senses.

All mosques, souks, and stunning small towns, Oman is the Arab world without the opulence of the rest of the region, offering a glimpse of Bedouin hospitality and tradition with a fierce sense of national pride. 

Believe us: you won’t want to keep your discovery to yourself. If you’d like to share your Oman experiences in real-time, here’s all you need to know about buying a travel eSIM or local SIM card and staying connected during your stay. 

There are two providers in Oman: state-owned Omantel, and Qatari operator Ooredoo. Omantel has the best coverage and speeds, and the majority of customers.

Even so, if you expect to use a fair amount of data or Oman is your first stop in a trip around the region, Qatar-based operator Ooredoo is your best bet. Its tourist SIM offering is slightly better than Omantel’s, and it has better value roaming in neighboring countries as well.

If you want the highest speeds and greatest coverage, though, Omantel’s tourist package is still reasonably priced and fits most requirements. It’s just not quite as good value as Ooredoo’s offering.

If you don’t need a local phone number (most travelers don’t), I’d suggest not bothering with the tourist SIM cards from either company, and just going for a travel eSIM instead.

You’ve got more flexibility about how much data you buy (and it generally lasts longer), with similar pricing per gigabyte. Added bonus: you don’t need to line up at the booths at the airport!

aloSIM and Airalo have near-identical pricing in Oman: I’ve used them both around the world, and would happily recommend either, so it doesn’t make much difference which one you go for.

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

Omantel, Ooredoo, and reseller Renna all have 24-hour booths in the arrivals hall at Muscat’s international airport, making it easy to buy a SIM card even before you’ve really set foot in the country. 

To sign up, you’ll need your passport and a method of payment. I wasn’t asked for a local address, though I’ve heard it’s sometimes required. If so, your hotel details should work just fine.

The staff member spoke perfect English and took care of everything, entering my information and taking a photo of my passport on a tablet. I paid cash, though international credit cards are also accepted. 

Omnatel

Omnatel and Ooredoo tend to have quite similar offerings for visitors.

I signed up for Omantel’s Tourist Pack, which offered 6GB of data (plus an extra 1GB on the first day), 50 domestic or international minutes and texts, plus a free trip with O-Taxi. Valid for 10 days, the pack cost OMR 5 ($13).

That was plenty for my five days in the country, but if you need more, there are several options to add it via “Hayyak” prepaid packs. Details as follows:

• 3GB of data valid for 28 days costs OMR 3
• 6GB of data valid for 28 days costs OMR 6
• 15GB of data valid for 28 days costs OMR 10
• 15GB of data valid for 12 weeks costs OMR 15
• 100GB of data valid for 30 days costs OMR 25

Versions of each pack are available with a certain number of national calling minutes and other benefits as well.

If you’re traveling elsewhere in the region (say you’re heading to neighboring UAE for a few days) and don’t want to keep buying local SIMs in each country, it’s best to buy a roaming package (“Jawazak”) while still in Oman.

These passes start at OMR 4 for 1GB valid for a day in Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). You can also pay OMR 6 for 2GB valid for three days, or OMR 10 for 4GB valid for a week. The latter also come with a small number of roaming calling minutes.

If you forget to do it in advance, you can sign up for a roaming package while abroad by calling a special number, but you’ll need a minimum of OMR 2 in your account to do it.

Ooredoo

Since my visit, Ooredoo has improved its tourist SIM offering, and it’s now the option I’d go for. It comes in three varieties, the first valid for 10 days and providing 6GB of data for OMR 5.

The second costs OMR 10, lasts 15 days, and offers 15GB of data, while the last costs OMR 15, lasts 20 days, and has 25GB of data. Like the Omnatel pack, all three include a free gigabyte of data on the first day, plus 50 domestic texts and call minutes, and 50 international minutes.

Ooredoo also has better-value roaming packages, offering a one-day pass for OMR 4 that gives 2GB of data in the GCC, a three-day 4GB pass for OMR 6, or a one-week 6GB pass for OMR 10.

aloSIM and Airalo

Of the travel eSIM companies I’d recommend, aloSIM and Airalo tend to have near-identical prices in Oman. I’ve used both companies around the world with good success, so it doesn’t really matter which one you go for.

They’re not the only option out there, of course, and we’ve compared many of them in the past. Here’s how the best ones stack up price-wise in Oman.

Topping Up

Omantel

Topping up can be done online on the company website or app, and international credit cards are accepted.

If you’d rather use cash, you can do so at an official store, of which there are several in Muscat and elsewhere.

aloSIM or Airalo

Topping up with aloSIM, Airalo, or any of the other travel eSIM companies is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Oman eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

Even though the internet is somewhat censored in Oman, it didn’t seem to affect Omantel’s data speeds. 4G/LTE downloads were up over 60Mbps around the country, from Muscat to Sohar, with upload speeds around half that.

Note that Skype and WhatsApp calling services are blocked and officially illegal. As with most such censorship, using a VPN will circumvent it, but you do so very much at your own risk.

Both aloSIM and Airalo use the Omantel network as well, so you can expect the same coverage whichever option you go for.

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Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 65+ other countries here.

Images via Robert Haandrikman (feature photo).