Best VPNs for Oman

The rate of internet penetration is not as high as in some of the neighboring countries within the region and its speeds are surely not the best either, but surprisingly many online services are not restricted in the sultanate, however others need some extra work to be accessed and enjoyed to the fullest and this is where VPNs come in. These tools are surrounded by a question mark of legal uncertainty, though it’s surely not impossible to use them.

The internet in Oman is a mixed experience. While there are ISPs delivering 100Mbit/s fiber optic speeds, the percentage of people actually using it is low due to the high costs, especially when compared to the average cost of much slower speeds. Even so, it’s possible to subscribe to Netflix using an IP address from Oman ever since the world’s biggest streaming service entered the country’s borders in 2016. Obviously the library is more limited than in America, but it still includes shows and movies that were not available in the country until then.

It’s not all great news, however, since other apps are either fully blocked or only partially open with an Omani IP address, and many more are controlled by the government who also enforces blocks on certain websites.

Oman is a photocopy of many of its neighboring countries when it comes to the protection of its citizens’ personal online information. To explain, there’s a lack of online privacy laws and information is gathered even by government entities. As written in Muscat Daily – the largest selling newspaper in Oman – personal user data is gathered for “legitimate reasons” such as “carrying out the services required by these users or for regularly communicating with them”. For instance, smaller subscription-based companies do this to renew their customers’ billing easily, while entities such as the Ministry of Higher Education also collect “names, contact and bank account details” of Oman students abroad. Even non-profit organizations participate in this data fest.

Muscat Daily – which has done some neat articles about the state of the internet in the past – also explains that the current law regarding cyber crime means it is “an offence to violate the privacy of individuals using technology, but does not impose any obligation on those who collect private data”. It is generally known that the government has been working on a data protection law for years, though there are still many doubts about whether it will actually be put in place.

Despite Oman showing some openness in its culture, the general internet is still monitored by the government, though not as extensively as in certain other countries. Some websites that “breach the decency code of conduct”, that are abusive, offensive or that “promote misleading or fraudulent information or illegal material” are blocked in Oman. This is done by the TRA (Telecommunication Regulatory Authority) and mostly includes adult websites but some blogs are also unavailable, too, which will then display a message explaining the situation and a request form that users can use to submit to the authorities a reason why they should be unblocked.

Skype is completely blocked in Oman but other apps work partially without needing to resort to VPNs; Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, for instance, can be used for chatting but not to make calls. But when it comes to VPNs everything becomes even more confusing. People have been forbidden by the TRA from using VPNs since 2010 unless they are approved by the government. Because these tools can provide access to blocked websites and allow the use of Skype and other VoIP services freely, only customers that have a permit can legally use a VPN. Those that don’t have such permit are subject to heavy monetary fines.

Oman is the 127th country out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders chart because of the country’s arrests on citizens and journalists that publicly express their views on the internet. “They are often arrested (…) and given long jail sentences on charges of insulting the head of state, the country’s culture or customs” the organization writes.

Just like pretty much the entire Persian Gulf area, streaming is very popular in the Sultanate of Oman. However, of all the most popular alternatives in the world, Netflix is the only one available. When it made its debut in the region in the beginning of 2016 the population rejoiced and rushed to create accounts, but many feared that the TRA might block it, which fortunately has never happened. Netflix’s library for Oman is not as large as in other western countries, though, and some of the most popular shows are still out of the country.

Alternatively, OSN – Oman’s leading entertainment network – has developed WAVO, a mobile streaming app with different packages that include some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, various TV shows and series, Arabic and kids’ content. All this comes with subtitles in English and Arabic and, most importantly, the prices are affordable.

Most music apps are unavailable, too, though Oman residents can subscribe to Apple Music as the service runs freely in the country.