Job Discussion Forums

Sydney2002 · Joined: 10 Apr 2012 Posts: 55

hi everyone

I've noticed that several countries in the Gulf already have 3G and even 4G available, but Oman, not so much...

Is DSL all that is available? If so, how is the speed? I'm not big on downloading but I do tend to stream quite a bit. How is this going to work?

lizziebennet · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 355

Oman is not backward when it comes to internet it is just more expensive than a lot of other countries and the internet is capped in some cases. As far as 3G or ADSL goes you have both options.

You can get these 3G modems where you can get unlimited access for the month and you can get unlmited fixed line ADSL internet at home.

If you don't need unlimited access for a month you can pay OMR1 for 1Gig of downloads per day which won't get you far as far as downloading but seems to be what alot of people do. It works out cheaper to get the unlimited deal. I never got the unlimited 3G option as I have ADSL unlimited with a telephone (OMR25 per month) but i have friends who say they have it.

The 3G modems vary. Some are small ones that you plug into your laptop and others are bigger ones you set up in your house that multiple pc's can access. Most if not all are portable and can be used anywhere in Oman which is nice...

Most people go for the 3G modems in small towns as there are often parts of town where ADSL lines are not available. Even 3G signals can be bad so you should test it out with a friends modem before buying one for yourself. We have always had good 3G signals where we have lived but it's always good to check...

toko · Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Posts: 24 Location: Hong Kong

If you only go online just to check your email and perhaps do a google search or two, then the internet in Oman is fine.

It is next to impossible to get a steady stream, unless it is maybe 4am and everyone is sleeping. We were with the biggest provider, had the best location, and had the "unlimited" package (which is certainly not unlimited). They do cap you early on in the month if you are downloading movies and such. The streaming was so bad that we had to download during the night. We also had a VPN for Skype, and the connection was horrible. Also, the customer service was really bad. Sometimes the internet would not work for several hours or if a demonstration was going on. The service officer would say, "Oh, it is the weather," or make you do at least three speed tests before lying about something.

If you are into streaming (or downloading) or keeping up a steady conversation with someone, then you will be extremely frustrated. If I would've know about the internet issues in advance, then Oman probably wouldn't have been my next contract.

I've paid far less in remote places around the world and got much better service.

lizziebennet · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 355

Toko they key words you used were 'were' and 'was'. I don't know how long ago you had internet in Oman but things have changed.

We are with Omantel and we do have unlimited internet which has never ever been capped. We had capped internet in Singapore so we know the difference.

I can download a whole season of a TV show in 4 hours or less. Music and single episodes take mere minutes. Maybe where you were there was no speed but where we are it is pretty fast. We are with Omantal by the way and have a fixed line.

I have an OSN satellite package and it gives us OSN Play which is an internet TV service where you can watch movies and TV shows online and I haven't had a problem yet. I watch whole shows or movies without it having to buffer once.

I know that in my town some areas don't have access to fixed lines so maybe in those places the internet is slow. Those are the same areas that are not connected to a water system and still have the water trucks delivering water. We wouldn't move into a place in any of those areas.

I guess it all depends where you live. We are lucky enough to have fantastic internet access...

toko · Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Posts: 24 Location: Hong Kong

We 'were' there up until this July. That is wonderful that you have a great connection, because that is the only case I've ever heard. Hold on to that!

We were in one of the few "cities" and had the best package you can get from Nawras (which is over 60 USD), co-workers had a lot of trouble with Omantel (but yes, maybe you'll be lucky--though I don't see ever being able to stream in full HD). There is no such thing as unlimited, anywhere. In Oman it caps out at about 100gigs and slows down much before you get there. Our connection was useable for a while, but then demand picked up, and they can't keep up! We had a better, more reliable internet connection in Saigon (and I only paid 10 USD a month!)

Also, Oman is tightening censorship of the internet. Its getting ridiculous the amount of sites that pop up on the 'black list' as being "against the views of the Sultanate" (They are definitely afraid of more people protesting, hence the tan patrols of Police roaming the roads.) It hasn't reached the same status of "the Great firewall" of China, but it is getting silly. If you go, make sure you have a decent proxy or VPN installed on your laptop before you get there! You'll need it!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I expect that there is great variance between say Muscat and any of the other smaller cities.

I wonder if Lizzie's better package is due to the proximity of the UAE, which should provide that rare thing called competition. (just guessing...)

VS

Sydney2002 · Joined: 10 Apr 2012 Posts: 55

Thanks for the replies here!

I must admit, when I read Toko's experience, I got quite worried. But I will be in Muscat and I have a feeling that the teachers I work with there will have lots of helpful advice as well.

I just wondered what "high speed" DSL meant, since those two often don't go together anymore where I currently live!

lizziebennet · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 355

I am sure it will be ok Sydney!

I have a good friend living in Muscat (Seeb area) and he has the same package as me. He, like me has fast access and uploads loads of photos and videos on YouTube on almost a daily basis. I don't know if it is called ADSL but it is a fixed line not wireless. We used to use Nawras 3G internet and the fixed line we have now is faster than that.

V.S I am not sure... I know they sell UAE phone cards in the store downstairs as a lot of Emiratis live here and I got my OSN Satellite package from the UAE side (it is available in Oman but the wanted to charge me an arm an a leg to come out to Buraimi so we just picked up the satellite and receiver box from OSN in Al Ain and they put us in contact with a guy they have in Buraimi). I wonder if some Emirati companies offer internet packages this side... I haven't heard of this and don't think it is the case but it could be possible.