Regulations for Oman’s postal sector being readied

LAST MILE DELIVERY: Strong growth in ecommerce activities as postal licensee ramp up service delivery, says TRA

The Sultanate’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) says it is finalising regulatory guidelines for the postal services sector, which has been witnessing strong growth in recent years, fuelled by, among other factors, an upsurge in ecommerce activities.

Also aiding this uptrend are initiatives launched by Oman Post, a subsidiary of ASYAD Group — the holding company of the Omani government’s investments in the transport, seaport, free zone and logistics sectors. These initiatives are in the form of freight services, lastmile delivery, express mail, enhanced traditional postal services and e-commerce.

“The Authority is in the final stages of issuing the regulations and guidelines for the postal services sector primarily to address the aspects of competition and quality of services; These would be aligned with the policy framework being developed by the Ministry,” said Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhy, Chairman — TRA.

“The sector is witnessing the onset of active e-commerce activities involving all the postal licensees including Oman Post, who have established special arrangements for the last mile delivery of parcels,” he added in the Chairman’s Message prefacing the 2017 Annual Report released here recently.

Dr Hamed Salim al Rawahi, Executive President — TRA, added: “Ecommerce is gaining momentum and the postal service providers are rising up to (meet) the demands of the consumers by enhancing their service offerings by engaging with last mile service providers exploiting the ICT tools available for tracking and safe delivery of parcels.”

While the exchange of traditional