It is reported that media imports are subject to censorship by the Ministry of Heritage, Culture and Sport for morally or politically sensitive material. The Ministry of Information delays or bars publications of content it deems morally suspect or politically sensitive. Since 2021, Oman has blocked Clubhouse because it does not have a permit.

It is reported that Oman, through its government's majority-owned telecommunications service providers and telecommunications regulators, periodically slows or blocks access to certain over-the-top services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

The indicator "7.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 3 in Oman for the year 2024. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."

According to Art. 2 of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Decision No. 1152/2/19/2024-20, no entity may establish, operate or provide cloud computing or data centre services without first obtaining a licence, except for those already licensed to provide fixed public telecommunications services. Under Art. 6, such licences are valid for three years and may be renewed, subject to continued compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements.

Pursuant to Art. 9 of the Media Law, any natural or legal person intending to engage in specified media activities must obtain a licence from the Ministry of Information, in accordance with the conditions, procedures and rules laid down in the Law and its implementing regulation. These activities include (i) operating news websites and news accounts and (ii) retransmitting any media activity within the country.
It is reported that both local and international media entities are required to secure licenses from the Ministry of Information and must comply with established regulations.

According to Art. 3 of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Regulation No. 1152/2/19/2024-12, the commercial importation of communications equipment is prohibited unless a prior permit has been obtained from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. Pursuant to Art. 7 of the Regulation, applications for such licences must be submitted to the Authority using the prescribed form. The products concerned reportedly include screens, devices connected to data-processing and network equipment, telephones and other telecommunications devices, as well as audio, image or data transmission and reception equipment and GPS positioning devices.

The Law on the Protection of Personal Data enacted by Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022 provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Oman. The Law consists of 32 articles which, among other things, introduce data protection principles and rights for data subjects that bring the country's legislative regime into closer alignment with global data protection laws. Furthermore, the Law appoints the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology as the regulatory authority responsible for enforcement.

Oman ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Oman ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Art. 65.3 of the Law on Industrial Property Rights allows the disclosure of data in industrial and commercial activities if necessary to protect the public interest. However, there is no further clarification on what constitutes public interest, leaving this provision ambiguous.

Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulatory Act, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority issued Decision No. 37/2008. In accordance with Arts. 4 and 5, dealing in encryption systems or equipment should only be permitted after obtaining the Authority’s approval. The following are required to obtain the Authority’s approval to deal with encryption systems or equipment:
- Registration with the Authority to deal in encryption systems or equipment;
- Submission of a statement showing the type and specifications of all encryption systems or equipment intended to deal in;
- A sample of the encryption system or equipment intended to be dealt with whenever requested by the Authority. Where samples are submitted, the Authority may retain them in whole or in part if the work interest so requires;
- Information as requested by the Authority regarding the dealing user;
In addition, the Authority may scrutinise and inspect the encryption systems or equipment before licensing their usage, and it may, whenever necessary, retain a sample and obtain the key (Art. 9).

Trade secrets and other undisclosed information are protected under the Law on Industrial Property Rights (Arts. 60.1(b), 65.1 and 65.2) and its Implementing Regulation (Regulation No. 105/2008), which prohibit the unfair commercial use and disclosure of undisclosed information, including regulatory test data, as acts of unfair competition. In addition, Part IV of the Law on Industrial Property Rights sets out the infringement proceedings and remedies applicable to acts of unfair competition, including those involving the misuse or disclosure of trade secrets and other forms of undisclosed information.

There is no obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in the country to deliver telecom services to end users. However, it is practiced in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

It is reported that Omantel, the leading telecommunications company in the country, remains under majority government ownership, with the government holding a controlling stake of 51%.

Under TRA Decision No. 26/2016 issuing the Regulations on Accounting Separation, Oman requires accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecommunications market. In addition, it has been reported that functional separation is also mandated in the country; however, no explicit legal provision establishing such an obligation could be identified in publicly available sources online.