TRA launches survey to regulate last-mile delivery in Oman

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has launched a public consultation to elicit stakeholder feedback on its draft regulations governing last-mile delivery services in Oman.

In an online post, the Authority explained that the survey will aim to improve postal services by regulating postal drivers and vehicles and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Speaking to the media, Ali al Shukaili, Executive Manager of the Postal Sector at TRA, said, “The public consultation is a regulatory tool that the authority consistently uses, considering it a means to make regulatory decisions that ensure the participation of relevant parties. These parties include licensed companies in sectors supervised by the authority, such as telecommunications and postal services, as well as any official and private entities and individuals interested in the sectors regulated by the Authority.” According to Al Shukaili, the public consultation for last-mile delivery regulations is a result of a collaboration between the Authority and the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, that aims to utilise the Ministry’s land transport platform – Naql.

“This collaboration aims to maximise the benefit of the postal sector through the transport platform managed by the Ministry of Transport. This platform serves as a technical means to regulate the transport sector in its broadest sense. We aim to leverage this system for the postal services sector to ensure that it integrates seamlessly with the broader transport sector,” he shared.

Interested participants can participate in the survey by visiting the Authority’s website. Submissions close on June 3.

Speaking to the Observer, several government officials highlighted that last-mile delivery is key to boosting e-commerce, which generated revenues totalling $657.1 million in 2020 in Oman.

Last year, the Sultanate of Oman – represented by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion – unveiled an e-commerce regulatory framework in an effort to pave the way for the anticipated executive e-commerce strategy, under the auspices of the Digital Economy Programme.

Additionally, earlier this year, Dr Said al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, announced that a new law and roadmap for the postal sector are under development.