The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) is conducting a survey on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the Sultanate. The survey, which started on January 6, will continue till January 17, 2019.

The survey aims at collecting data on the extent of use of the ICT in the country. It would reveal the percentages of households and individuals (15 years or above) using internet for purposes including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, WhatsApp, SnapChat, Blogs and forums. The sample consists of 2,500 Omanis and expatriates aged 18 years and above in all governorates of the Sultanate. The survey is conducted in three languages, namely Arabic, English and Urdu. The survey will also provide indicators on the percentage of ownership and use of smart phones, their various applications, and the proportion of households with a computer (desktop, laptop or tablet) and the percentage of people who use computer. It will also ascertain the number of people who possess basic skills on using computers for the purpose of sending mails, making use of applications like Excel, making presentations, writing a computer program using programming languages, and other such skills. The indicators, which would be made based on the data collected in this survey, will be used by many international institutions, such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to determine the achievements of countries around the world in the use of ICT. It would also rank these countries in terms of their achievement in the area.