# Mobile Carrier Battle: Du vs Etisalat



## Abraxas

Du vs Etisalat... Is one preferred over the other? Is one cheaper? Does one provide better coverage? Faster speeds? Are plan structures better with one?

Is there any benefit to utilizing the same company for mobile and home Internet/phone?


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## rsinner

At home you do not generally have much of a choice - a building is generally covered by either Etisalat or Du, but not both. Also, in general, I haven't come across a package that gives you the benefit of mobile + home discounts.
I prefer Du over Etisalat as I generally find them cheaper (the phone provided by my work is Etisalat) and they charge by the second. In terms of coverage I don't find any difference between the two phones, but it may depend on the area you live and work in.


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## Abraxas

rsinner said:


> At home you do not generally have much of a choice - a building is generally covered by either Etisalat or Du, but not both. Also, in general, I haven't come across a package that gives you the benefit of mobile + home discounts.
> I prefer Du over Etisalat as I generally find them cheaper (the phone provided by my work is Etisalat) and they charge by the second. In terms of coverage I don't find any difference between the two phones, but it may depend on the area you live and work in.


Is data usage common here? What about texting? Coming from USA, I'm used to unlimited data and essentially unlimited minutes/text. I see the plans are like 100 MB, 250 MB, etc with 100, 250, etc texts/minutes. Do you find it easy to reach those tiers? Plans in the USA that are not unlimited are typically 1GB or 2GB per month with like 1500 texts if there is even a limit.


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## Jynxgirl

Texting just isnt done that much here. It will add up quickly. I used to average maybe 2500 to 3000 messages a month easily back home. That just isnt possible here. Plans are a few hundred sms. 

Get a data plan for your android, bb, or evil fruit phone. Even then, it is easy to go over the data amounts. A lot of people will have a blackberry w the 50dirham social plan that gets you unlimited bbm, yahoo, msn, etc messengers and access to facebook i think (I dont have a facebook so dont know/care about that) included, even if they have an iphone or android. Whats app (if you dont use bbm) will be your new best friend and will replace sms. You will have to get your friends and family to get whats app or get them to use yahoo or msn or something on their phones to talk to you. It is hard to do as the culture in the usa is just to sms.


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## INFAMOUS

Jynxgirl said:


> Texting just isnt done that much here. It will add up quickly. I used to average maybe 2500 to 3000 messages a month easily back home. That just isnt possible here. Plans are a few hundred sms.
> 
> Get a data plan for your android, bb, or evil fruit phone. Even then, it is easy to go over the data amounts. A lot of people will have a blackberry w the 50dirham social plan that gets you unlimited bbm, yahoo, msn, etc messengers and access to facebook i think (I dont have a facebook so dont know/care about that) included, even if they have an iphone or android. Whats app (if you dont use bbm) will be your new best friend and will replace sms. You will have to get your friends and family to get whats app or get them to use yahoo or msn or something on their phones to talk to you. It is hard to do as the culture in the usa is just to sms.



I have to disagree to an extent here... the UAE is driven on SMS aka "TEXT MESSAGES"! Your parking fines, banking purchases, speeding tickets, postal notifications, EVERYTHING is driven via SMS (all SMS incoming are free)

Do people here use traditional SMS NO... they use BBM or What's App but guess what? THEY ARE TEXT MESSAGES!!!

Everyone here texts and they do it all day long all day and everyday. Everyone I know back in the US and Canada has What's App or BBM and I am connected just as much if not more than when I was home. In fact most people here have 2 phones just for these reasons! One for work/voice calls and the other for "text messaging" whether it be SMS, WhatsApp or BBM.

DU offers much better international/data packages but the coverage is no where that of Etisalat. If you plan on staying within city limits all the time then DU is the way to go IMO.


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## Jynxgirl

Sending messages thru bbm or using whats up isnt the same as sms/text messages.  If whats up or bbm went thru as text messages, I would be in the 6000 to 8000 range a month here and cant even imagine what that would cost. Where as most of them are bbm, it is 'free' with the blackberry package. 

I agree, people send messages all day, everyday. You learn quickly that actually speaking on the phone is expensive so will not do it much. A person adapts here was my point. 

Glad to hear 'yours' use whats app, but most my friends and family only sms as they have low data plans but unlimited sms in the usa.


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## pamela0810

For those of us who aren't living the American dream, we've always paid for our SMS's so really isn't that much of a shock! Before BBM and Whatsapp, everyone used SMS. Blackberry was only made available to the general public, for personal use a couple of years ago. 

Etisalat seems to be better overall. They were here first and Du is still playing catch up. However, Du does have monopoly over certain areas of the city when it comes to home packages so your home internet/TV/land line will depend on where you live.

Cell phone - go with Etisalat.


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## Abraxas

Thanks for the tips. Will check out whatsapp as I do not use BB.


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## XDoodlebugger

Abraxas said:


> Thanks for the tips. Will check out whatsapp as I do not use BB.


For your friends back in the US get a Google Voice number before you come over, it can do two things:

1. You can forward your US number to Google Voice and it will transcribe and email you the voice mails. 

2. Your US friends will have a US number to text you on and you a free way to text them back. (no MMS though).

Much better in my opinion than expecting them to get a special app.

I got a 1gb data plan when I first got here and didn't go over for the month, but I have WiFi at work and at home that I use when I am there. I am a fairly heavy user for news and stocks and even stream a bit of iHeart radio but no video.

Also get a Magic Jack, very nice to have as well for staying in touch.


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## maverick12210

I believe DU is expensive when it comes to Triple Packs (TV, landline & Internet) & if your building is covered by either du or etisalat then i guess you cant switch the triple pack to another provider. However if you are looking for a specific cell phone provider only then I agree with what INFAMOUS mentioned - "DU offers much better international/data packages but the coverage is no where that of Etisalat. If you plan on staying within city limits all the time then DU is the way to go IMO."


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## rsinner

I don't even use 40 MB of data a month on my (very good) android smartphone. I use wifi at home and at office, and otherwise don't need to have to "check in" on facebook everywhere I go, so keep the mobile data switched off. When I am out of the office/home, I get my office emails on the BB. For personal emails, I don't get too fussed about having to reply to them all the time, so only check them at home/office.
The data usage only becomes important when I am out of Dubai, and then good luck using Du or Etisalat. The data usage bundles do not cover roaming data usage, the charges for which are very high.


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## Enzoo

in my experience, du charges are better than etisalat but the signal is not good, especially if you are inside the building.


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## KONY

Thx for all those valuable info...what is the carrier who is there in the Marina towers for home internet ?

And yes whatsapp is da bomb


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## KONY

XDoodlebugger said:


> For your friends back in the US get a Google Voice number before you come over, it can do two things:
> 
> 
> 
> Also get a Magic Jack, very nice to have as well for staying in touch.


Does Google voice work also for Europe...since i will be coming to Dubai from France

And what is magic jack ?


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## KONY

Also another question .is there any implementation of 4G in dubai for mobile phones...and who carries it ?

And nothing abt the speed of internet compared to lightning fast europe internet ?


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## rsinner

check out the websites of Du (du.ae) and etisalat.ae for the pricing. The speeds are okay (but upload speeds are not). There is no 4G as I understand it, but I may be wrong


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## KONY

Yeah thanx..by the way i already checked the website some time back...but nothing value more customer's own opinion over company's marketing blah blah


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## murraybiscuit

rsinner said:


> check out the websites of Du (du.ae) and etisalat.ae for the pricing. The speeds are okay (but upload speeds are not). There is no 4G as I understand it, but I may be wrong


etisalat offers 4g but it's bundled with hardware, only available on postpaid and isn't on the same frequency as sprint/at&t. your ipad 3 will only work with 3g/hspa+ in dubai. very few top end devices currently support 4g anyways.
on the du 3g network i was getting around 1mbps upload and download with a decent ping. which is fine for phone use, but not so great for dongle/tethering.
of course all of this depends on your location, so do a test with a prepaid sim before you start investing in contracts or hardware.


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## KONY

^^ ok cool


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## murraybiscuit

back to op:
1. there's not much value from what i can see in bundling mobile with landline-based provider, so don't make it a criterion for selection. 
2. coverage varies, but i haven't noticed an overall "better" provider. you'd need to choose a provider primarily based on the location of your most frequent usage.
3. du's prepaid is better than etisalat's in my experience:
- du offers more flexible bundles (you get a bonus amount on each recharge and can choose if you want to allocate it to airtime, overseas calls, or data.
- price is much of a muchness depending on your needs.
- the du self-service portal online is much better than the etisalat one. just register your number and credit card and sms 135 with the amount you want to recharge. none of that last-minute till slip dithering. you can also add secondary sims and recharge those the same way. with etisalat, you need to be a postpaid user to achieve the same, and can't recharge via sms afaik. this was the main reason i ended up going with du.


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## murraybiscuit

Abraxas said:


> Thanks for the tips. Will check out whatsapp as I do not use BB.


alternatively just download a multi-protocol im client like imo.im which supports skype, gchat, fbchat, yahoo, msn, aim etc (not whatsapp). if your friends are on any of those platforms, they won't need to dl or sign up for another protocol.


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## DebbieT11

I realize that this thread is from a few months ago, but I wanted to thank all the kind posters who were good enough to share specific information and advice - this stuff is soooo helpful to those of us coming along shortly.

Again - a hearty "thank you" to all that shared!


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## Roadworrier

DebbieT11 said:


> I realize that this thread is from a few months ago, but I wanted to thank all the kind posters who were good enough to share specific information and advice - this stuff is soooo helpful to those of us coming along shortly.
> 
> Again - a hearty "thank you" to all that shared!


Alert - if you want to change your prepaid Du account to postpaid without changing your phone number - you must have an "Emirates-issued" credit card (not debit), no US-issued cards or Amex permitted. Otherwise they will need salary certificate, certified tenancy agreement, etc. It's been 7 days and they are still waiting for "management approval" for me (stamped salary cert letter and tenancy agreement provided a couple days ago after they rejected the use of a debit card and labour agreement).


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## crt454

come to think about it,i miss my 35$ unlimited minutes,text and web plan from t mobile.


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## julesh

Roadworrier said:


> Alert - if you want to change your prepaid Du account to postpaid without changing your phone number - you must have an "Emirates-issued" credit card (not debit), no US-issued cards or Amex permitted. Otherwise they will need salary certificate, certified tenancy agreement, etc. It's been 7 days and they are still waiting for "management approval" for me (stamped salary cert letter and tenancy agreement provided a couple days ago after they rejected the use of a debit card and labour agreement).



What a pain. Is that the same with Etisalat?


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## fcjb1970

julesh said:


> What a pain. Is that the same with Etisalat?


Yes, changing from pre-paid to post paid here is a nightmare. I added the trick of changing to a corporate (blackberry) account from a personal wasel account. All told I think there were close to ten trips made to Etisalat, including me going to AD just to show my ID to someone at Etisalat (because my company having my visa, labor card, passport, EID copies was not sufficient - I had to present it in person because I would somehow oppose someone else paying my phone bill).

Somewhere along the lines we resubmitted the identical documents a second time.

It would have been far easier to just get a new number, the problem is that everything here is tied to your mobile number, bank accounts, etc. (basically treated like a SSN in the USA) so you cannot just dump a number once you have been here a while.

Of the many painful experiences this ranks in the upper echelon.


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## lxinuk

On a related subject...in the UK I had a plan which was unlimited....calls, data, texts etc.....is there such a thing here?

I am currently on Etisalat and pay the 5dhs a day for unlimited date but after 25MB they reduce the speed to a crawl. Using 25MB takes all of um 10 mins! I have three teenagers so you can imagine I get through a lot of texts too.....I seem to be spending a fortune...

I like the idea of swapping to du so I can recharge online.....

L


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## julesh

Thanks for the warning - I will look forward to the nightmare of changing over to pre-paid


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## sammylou

lxinuk said:


> I am currently on Etisalat and pay the 5dhs a day for unlimited date but after 25MB they reduce the speed to a crawl. Using 25MB takes all of um 10 mins! I have three teenagers so you can imagine I get through a lot of texts too.....I seem to be spending a fortune...
> 
> I like the idea of swapping to du so I can recharge online.....
> 
> L


etisalat also offers 1 gig per month for 99 dirhams. much cheaper than doing by the day and you only have to recharge for it once a month. i use data every day, fb, googlemaps, email etc. and have not gotten near the 1 gig. i agree it would be nice to recharge online but it's so easy to pick up a wasel voucher as so many shops have them.


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## saraswat

lxinuk said:


> I like the idea of swapping to du so I can recharge online.....
> 
> L





sammylou said:


> i agree it would be nice to recharge online ....


There is a way to recharge Wasel credit online.. infact Etisalat has a promotion going currently for this.. worth looking into.. 

Etisalat - Promotions - Wasel recharge promotion (recharge online get 10% extra credit...)

Etisalat - Personal - My Account

p.s: it's a bit of pain getting registered.. but worth it...


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## lxinuk

Sarasota: thank you ill look into it...


Sammy Lou : I get through 1 GB in a week....you could say addicted, I say it's work!.....i used to do the 1GB that before the 5Dhs choice came out.......so that would be recharged even more.....plus it runs out in the middle of the day that you are relying on it....

If you are a heavy user the 5Dhs does work it's just very slow after 25 MB....which I try to combat by being on a WIFI whenever I can, it is just annoying after having so much 'freedom' previously !!! 

It just seems like I recharge all the time (I guess paying for 4 phones will feel like that!) xx

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate you taking the time! 

L


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## omnivore

*Blackberry: Du or Etisalat*

Which would be the best for a Blackberry? I'm thinking of just getting a prepaid plan and just needs "some" social networking & BBM.

Also, should I load more credits on top of the Blackberry service charge so I could use it for SMS and local calls?:help:


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## jk_1337

Got a new Etisalat sim card for my iPhone 4 - topped it up with 60Dhs credit. Tried to make a viber call which didn't connect. Somehow I ended up with about 15Dhs credit afterwards!

Checked again a few hours later and it's now gone up to 23 Dhs. I can't seem to get data to work on this damn thing so hard to figure out where the rest of my credit has vaporised to. Have rebooted phone multiple times, reset settings etc to no avail. Can't browse, check email or use whatsapp. 

Any ideas? (other than try and get a hold of someone at etisalat tech support....sigh)


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## sammylou

jk_1337 said:


> Got a new Etisalat sim card for my iPhone 4 - topped it up with 60Dhs credit. Tried to make a viber call which didn't connect. Somehow I ended up with about 15Dhs credit afterwards!
> 
> Checked again a few hours later and it's now gone up to 23 Dhs. I can't seem to get data to work on this damn thing so hard to figure out where the rest of my credit has vaporised to. Have rebooted phone multiple times, reset settings etc to no avail. Can't browse, check email or use whatsapp.
> 
> Any ideas? (other than try and get a hold of someone at etisalat tech support....sigh)


just making sure, have you actually subscribed to a data package? as in, sent the SMS with the proper codes [and proper amount of credit for it] to etisalat? and if so, did you get the confirmation SMS back?


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## jk_1337

um yeah.. so I didn't do that so that's why it didn't work. Went back to etisalat today and sorted it all out.

I'm from Australia, everything is included when you get credit! I went to South Africa recently and had a similar headache - in what world do people not need data?! it's as if it's being treated as an optional extra!

I'm so green it's not even a joke...really need to get my head around things in Dubai quickly!


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## sammylou

jk_1337 said:


> um yeah.. so I didn't do that so that's why it didn't work. Went back to etisalat today and sorted it all out.
> 
> I'm from Australia, everything is included when you get credit! I went to South Africa recently and had a similar headache - in what world do people not need data?! it's as if it's being treated as an optional extra!
> 
> I'm so green it's not even a joke...really need to get my head around things in Dubai quickly!


not to worry! you'll get sorted before you know it  glad you got the phone figured out. and we are all here to help if you have other questions!


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## Emanef

I'm just trying to work out the cost for PAYG charges over here. 

OK, so am I reading this correct on Du's PAYG charges? From lower down on this page - Prepaid Plan | du

Calls to all mobiles & national landlines 0.5 fils/sec (so .3 AED a minute, therefore 5p a min (UK price, based on online conversion rates)
Video calls to du 1 fils/sec (so .6 AED a min, 10p a min)
National SMS 18 fils (converts to 3p in sterling?)
International SMS 60 fils (.6AED per text, so 10p per text? Better than 40p it's costing me on my UK phone!) 

Plus I can then buy an add-on for data (based on this page) of 20 AED for 40MB, 50 AED for 100MB or 100 AED for 1GB, etc? And is that a monthly amount or is it until you use it up (ie can you buy a 25GB bundle and it last for ages?)

Any idea if Etisalat are better or worse? 

If I'm correct with the above calculations the PAYG costs don't seem too bad.


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## IzzyBella

Emanef said:


> I'm just trying to work out the cost for PAYG charges over here.
> 
> OK, so am I reading this correct on Du's PAYG charges? From lower down on this page - Prepaid Plan | du
> 
> Calls to all mobiles & national landlines 0.5 fils/sec (so .3 AED a minute, therefore 5p a min (UK price, based on online conversion rates)
> Video calls to du 1 fils/sec (so .6 AED a min, 10p a min)
> National SMS 18 fils (converts to 3p in sterling?)
> International SMS 60 fils (.6AED per text, so 10p per text? Better than 40p it's costing me on my UK phone!)
> 
> Plus I can then buy an add-on for data (based on this page) of 20 AED for 40MB, 50 AED for 100MB or 100 AED for 1GB, etc? And is that a monthly amount or is it until you use it up (ie can you buy a 25GB bundle and it last for ages?)
> 
> Any idea if Etisalat are better or worse?
> 
> If I'm correct with the above calculations the PAYG costs don't seem too bad.


Data runs out after 30 days. However (from what I can gather from weird "English") if you recharge the data (using a wow card) before it runs out (this applies to all "bundles" - as we call them in the UK) then it extends it for another 30 days. So, technically, you can load up 25GB and then just top up by 40MB every 30 days until you run out. Then repeat. 

I'm not 100% sure on this, I'll let you know when I reach 30 days. 

---

I also miss my old £10/month plan in UK:
Unlimited SMS
Unlimited internet
200 minutes

Not that I ever really used SMS what with whatsapp, Trillian, Facebook Chat, Twitter and iMessages. (Technology is beautiful.)


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## IzzyBella

IzzyBella said:


> Data runs out after 30 days. However (from what I can gather from weird "English") if you recharge the data (using a wow card) before it runs out (this applies to all "bundles" - as we call them in the UK) then it extends it for another 30 days. So, technically, you can load up 25GB and then just top up by 40MB every 30 days until you run out. Then repeat.


Terms & Conditions of Du Wow cards:



> - If you recharge your Pay as You Go line with more than one “more credit” recharge before all existing “more credit” has been used or expired, then the longest unexpired portion of a validity period of any still valid “more credit” will apply to all existing “more credit” on your plan.


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## Emanef

lol technology certainly is beautiful! Unlike this quote from their T&Cs!



IzzyBella said:


> If you recharge your Pay as You Go line with more than one “more credit” recharge before all existing “more credit” has been used or expired, then the longest unexpired portion of a validity period of any still valid “more credit” will apply to all existing “more credit” on your plan.


Hopefully you are correct (especially if you've just paid 500 for 25GB!) Better put a recurring reminder in your calendar!


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## IzzyBella

Emanef said:


> lol technology certainly is beautiful! Unlike this quote from their T&Cs!
> 
> 
> 
> Hopefully you are correct (especially if you've just paid 500 for 25GB!) Better put a recurring reminder in your calendar!


Don't worry, I only bought the 4GB data bundle.

Re-reading the Terms and Conditions for the WoW vouchers and I've deduced that the "extension" only works on:

"More Credit" - which gives you an additional % on top of your normal credit
"More International"

The SMS bundles (if you can call them that!) and the data bundles run out after the end of the month.

Sorry.


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## harshads

Du has started offering freebies on every recharge - for eg: the last time I recharged for AED 200 (More Data option), I also got 350 local minutes free; on another recharge I got 10 international SMS free! I'm lovin' it! Du's network has grown by leaps and bounds; in Sharjah Immigration area, I manage to get 10.6 mbps speed on my iPhone. It's amazing! Voice quality sometimes sucks though!


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## Emanef

Don't know if this helps anyone, but I just topped up the data on my Du PAYG yesterday with 100AED and got a text back saying that you now get 4G when you top up with 100AED or more in areas that support it, so if your phone supports it you should find it'll pick up the 4G connections (after rebooting). 

Just be aware though as the downside is that it'll plough through your 1GB much quicker if you're not careful...!


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## londonmandan

What do you guys do in terms of data bundles?

I have an iPhone 5 and have blown through 1GB in less than a month and it's getting expensive as I can't re add bundle till Friday.

I'm on Etisalat and used to have unlimited data back home that I miss so very much


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## Emanef

I usually get 100MB (50AED) or 1GB (100AED). It depends what you're using it for. When I've used Spotify or Rdio it eats through it pretty quickly. 

With the iPhone you should be able to change background app settings to stop certain things checking for updates so often (or at all unless manually). Things like Flipboard, Facebook, Twitter apps, etc will use up a reasonable amount if allowed to. 

I don't think there is unlimited on 4G yet in the UK either yet is there? Not cheaply anyway! 

A contract would be better value, but you can't get that until your residency is sorted out I believe. 

On my iPad the setting is under Settings>General>Background App Refresh. Check how often your email updates as well.


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## londonmandan

Emanef said:


> I usually get 100MB (50AED) or 1GB (100AED). It depends what you're using it for. When I've used Spotify or Rdio it eats through it pretty quickly. I use TuneIn and blew thru well over 5GB a month
> 
> With the iPhone you should be able to change background app settings to stop certain things checking for updates so often (or at all unless manually). Things like Flipboard, Facebook, Twitter apps, etc will use up a reasonable amount if allowed to. Done all that
> 
> I don't think there is unlimited on 4G yet in the UK either yet is there? Not cheaply anyway! 3 are offering 4G for free now and it's unlimited, I was going to move to them before I came over.
> 
> A contract would be better value, but you can't get that until your residency is sorted out I believe. True but in looking at DU they seem the same as PAYG?
> 
> On my iPad the setting is under Settings>General>Background App Refresh. Check how often your email updates as well. I have have push mail via MS Exchange


I used to work for a telco and have Apple certs so know all the settings, I am limiting the phone so much but it's just useage on the Metro and dats hog apps like FB etc.

Did use Onavo but that's just slow and a waste of time imo


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## Emanef

You're blowing 5GB a month mostly on radio? Wow....Etisalat must love you and the prices out here then! 

Do you use Tunein for music or talk radio? The paid for Spotify and Rdio mobile apps lets you cache loads of music for offline listening so just fill that up on wifi, or stick to podcasts. 

Sounds like there are better deals in the UK now that 3 don't have the monopoly anymore (and hopefully a lot of people left them for taking the P when they did have the monopoly!)

I guess you're going to have to monitor your usage more or stump up!


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## londonmandan

Emanef said:


> You're blowing 5GB a month mostly on radio? Wow....Etisalat must love you and the prices out here then!
> 
> Do you use Tunein for music or talk radio? The paid for Spotify and Rdio mobile apps lets you cache loads of music for offline listening so just fill that up on wifi, or stick to podcasts.
> 
> Sounds like there are better deals in the UK now that 3 don't have the monopoly anymore (and hopefully a lot of people left them for taking the P when they did have the monopoly!)
> 
> I guess you're going to have to monitor your usage more or stump up!


Noooooo jeez I'd never do that here lol I meant back in the UK I'd be doing that as it was always on when on public transport, in the office or in the car. I've not used it since I have been here.

Yeah when EE launched it was a rip off and as a customer of TMO for over 12 years they still would not do me any deals worth the move.

I don't think 3 really had any monopoly as they were/are the smallest network in terms of user base they just built their network based around data hence they can handle the capacity which allows them to do it for free. Call wise I hear the signal is crap but then I don't really make calls si wouldn't bother me.

I think I might just do 200dhs per month on 4GB if that's the right one.


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## Emanef

Sorry, it was EE, not Three I was thinking of. They did effectively had a monopoly on 4G for a while as they were able to use their existing network for 4g for a good six months or so before anyone else could, that was why they charged so much as you either had to pay it or had no alternative until the other telcos could launch theirs. 

4G - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
EE: we'll be "vindicated" on 4G prices | News | PC Pro


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## londonmandan

Emanef said:


> Sorry, it was EE, not Three I was thinking of. They did effectively had a monopoly on 4G for a while as they were able to use their existing network for 4g for a good six months or so before anyone else could, that was why they charged so much as you either had to pay it or had no alternative until the other telcos could launch theirs.
> 
> 4G - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> EE: we'll be "vindicated" on 4G prices | News | PC Pro


Yeah and then everyone set their pricing according to what EE did, still the pricing structure is pathetic and their justification is that no one needs unlimited pffft really?? Needing and wanting are two different things I WANT unlimited even if I might not need it.

I doubt the prices will drop seeing as 3 are offering 4G data for free, I think TMO are putting prices up from what I recall.


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## Emanef

Yeah, I used to have unlimted a few years back on Three and it was much less hassle, no faffing around having to monitor your usage. Much better.


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## londonmandan

I suppose we will have to wait 5 years till they ever decide to do unlimited and 10yrs for any kind of competition from the bigger players out there.


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## xxxxxxxxJonzie

Start out with a prepaid service first, then see what your typical texting/calls are like. DU is typically cheaper than Etisalat, but Etisalat has a wider range or service than DU (or that's what I've been told). BUT to save yourself the hassle, try to use Viber if and when at all possible with wifi. Get ready for a customer service nightmare my friend. Nothing is unlimited here and if you have any issues, you'll be pulling your hair out by the roots if you have to call a customer service number or go into a store. Good luck


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## Mustii

Bringing an old thread back lol ..

Guys I arrived here about a month ago and have been using Etisalat prepaid.. man the customer service  its UNBELIEVABLY BAD. I have had 5 issues in 1 week, and None of them was sorted out properly, it is all apparently my fault. Lol at one point it got really annoying so I told the representative (if I can even call him that) what his name and department is and that I will be taking this to a really high level of complain, he then started telling me he will take this call to the police LOL and that I will not be happy with the outcome, I apparently swore at him when I said "Please just be quite and let me finish talking, it is not that hard to listen if you start being a human being" anyway so I said you are welcome to go anywhere you want, now give me your name and pass me on to an Arabic speaker. LOL that hit him, he straight away started apologizing etc. anyway my problem wasn't sorted.

- I really wanted to go with a post paid Etisalat as they have the 1000 local minutes + 10GB data or 300 flexible + 10GB data, for 250 AED . but after this experience with them I just can't let myself do it. 
so I have now considered the Smart Plan 300 by DU. but before making my decision I want to ask is the DU network better now? as I did some research but it was mostly stuff from pre 2012 . I will be living in the Marina, and working at various client sites mostly in DIFC... 

Also in regard to home packages I went with DU, my tower accepts etisalat and Du, but went with DU due to the pricing.. is the home broadband reliable, 16Mb download and 4mb Upload, wcan I expect to receive something close to that as they do mention it is Up to. 

Sorry for the long message guys!


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## Fat Bhoy Tim

Teh interweb has spoken*.

* results may not be a fair or accurate reflection.


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## BedouGirl

Fat Bhoy Tim said:


> Teh interweb has spoken*. * results may not be a fair or accurate reflection.


I like that - mind you, when DU first started, we always used to say DU don't!!


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## Rbj*Rbj

I have just arrived here 2 days ago and have taken a prepaid sim with DU frm DXB airport

I have been really happy with them so far, excellent customer service at the desk, reasonable prices (i think 55aed for sim, 60aed for call credit and 120aed for 1gb data) and great coverage.

Cant comment on etisalat though as have not had experience of this


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## Noldor

Hmmm I'm a bit confused here guys. Got a DU prepaid ever since i came here back in March last year. Now considering a postpaid from Etisalat, but not sure.
Also is it wise to pick up a cell phone from Etisalat, alongwith the postpaid offers, or buy the phone from outside and just take the postpaid?

I want the Sony Xperia Z3 and its not available with Du, however Nokia (Microsoft) Lumia 930 is the second best option i'm considering.


Also there is a study from a US firm from Dec, 2014, which says Etisalat is offering better postpaid services including better overall download speeds and lower rates, but I'm not able to post a link yet as my post count is below 5.


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## Malbec

I don't know how did the US company did their study, but based on my research:

- Du is better value, cheapest postpaid plan AED 150 gets you 300 flexible minutes + 1GB data
- Etisalat for AED 150 can offer 200 flex mins + 1GB data
- Etisalat is the cheapest for basic postpaid plan: 50 flexi mins + 50MB data for AED 50.

From what I know Etisalat has better coverage than DU and much better 4G speeds. Not sure how better is the service provided by Etisalat overall but with DU I have not had any issues, used google maps for travel to Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and if not 4G then 3G was pretty much all the time. There was one exception when I traveled to one of the hotels on the desert, DU had no coverage but Etisalat full strenght.

As for the phones and 12-18-24months contract I have done the calculation for the iPhones and in every case you are better off to buy phone for cash if you can.


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## Noldor

Malbec said:


> I don't know how did the US company did their study, but based on my research:
> 
> - Du is better value, cheapest postpaid plan AED 150 gets you 300 flexible minutes + 1GB data
> - Etisalat for AED 150 can offer 200 flex mins + 1GB data
> - Etisalat is the cheapest for basic postpaid plan: 50 flexi mins + 50MB data for AED 50.
> 
> From what I know Etisalat has better coverage than DU and much better 4G speeds. Not sure how better is the service provided by Etisalat overall but with DU I have not had any issues, used google maps for travel to Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and if not 4G then 3G was pretty much all the time. There was one exception when I traveled to one of the hotels on the desert, DU had no coverage but Etisalat full strenght.
> 
> As for the phones and 12-18-24months contract I have done the calculation for the iPhones and in every case you are better off to buy phone for cash if you can.



Here is the article 
gulfnews.com/business/telecoms/etisalat-offers-better-postpaid-mobile-value-than-du-report-1.1425505


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## Mr Rossi

Mustii said:


> he then started telling me he will take this call to the police LOL and that I will not be happy with the outcome


Jail for Canadian expat who told Etisalat employee he was 'useless' | The National


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## Malbec

I have just noticed that if you want to activate roaming service on DU postpaid plan, you have to place AED 2000 security deposit which is refundable upon deactivation of roaming service...
Things to do before travel | Roaming Charges | Travel Abroad | Mobile | du

No such issues with Etisalat it seems.


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## Stevesolar

Malbec said:


> I have just noticed that if you want to activate roaming service on DU postpaid plan, you have to place AED 2000 security deposit which is refundable upon deactivation of roaming service...
> Things to do before travel | Roaming Charges | Travel Abroad | Mobile | du
> 
> No such issues with Etisalat it seems.


Hi,
That is not actually required - you can activate roaming by looking up Du Easy roaming on their website- but we often run up a large bill and nearly get cut off - as the monthly credit limit is 1500 AED.

They warn you by text when you get to 80% of this and you can then phone them or pay some of the balance on the internet.
Cheers
Steve


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## Malbec

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> That is not actually required - you can activate roaming by looking up Du Easy roaming on their website- but we often run up a large bill and nearly get cut off - as the monthly credit limit is 1500 AED.
> 
> They warn you by text when you get to 80% of this and you can then phone them or pay some of the balance on the internet.
> Cheers
> Steve


Yes but it is not convenient I think. In Smart Plan you get flexible minutes which you can use for receiving calls while roaming in one of the 175 countries. Now, either you put the AED 2000 deposit, activate roaming and be able to receive calls overseas within your flexi mins package OR you have to remember to activate Easy Roaming before leaving. Otherwise you might be stuck overseas.

Can you confirm that flexi minutes are being used from Smart Plan bundle for Easy Roaming while receiving calls abroad or they are charged separately as a completely different roaming service?


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## Stevesolar

Hi,
We only activated Easy roaming once - in July.
Since then, we have travelled to India, Oman and UK four times and everytime you land in a new country - you get a message from Du that Easy roaming is active and that you can make calls in that country for 30 fils per minute receive calls for 1.25 AED per min etc. etc.
These are billed separately from my inclusive 300 smart minutes that i get whilst in the UAE.
We ran up a big bill in India during our October holiday - the time we nearly reached our credit limit - because i used 5 x 1GB data packages (at 200 AED each!!).
Cheers
Steve


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## Malbec

Thanks, I actually suspected that this Easy Roaming is a whole different roaming service. With "normal" roaming receiving calls should be within the flexi mins Smart Plan bundle. Good that you don't have to remember about activating Easy Roaming every time.

To sum up for roaming on postpaid plans:
- Etisalat flexi mins can be used without hassle for receiving calls as roaming is activated by default but you will pay expensive outgoing standard roaming rates. No security deposit required.
- DU Easy Roaming is much cheaper, you have to activate it once, choice of countries are limited and you have to remember about locking into preferred network. To use DU normal roaming you have to place AED 2000 refundable deposit.


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## Malbec

@Stevesolar, enjoy the below.

So I went to DU today with the aim to change from prepaid to postpaid Smart Plan, but I was completely surprised by the information received. Salesman told me that Easy Roaming for Smart Plan is actually different (in the way it works) than the one for prepaid. He told that for Easy Roaming included in the Smart Plan:

- you can (only) receive calls while abroad apparently from flexible minutes
- you cannot make outgoing calls while abroad (be it local or international), unless you activate full roaming and pay AED 2000 deposit.

This is nowhere mentioned on the DU website, so I questioned the staff knowledge asking him to check. He asked the manager who confirmed the same....


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## Stevesolar

Malbec said:


> @Stevesolar, enjoy the below.
> 
> So I went to DU today with the aim to change from prepaid to postpaid Smart Plan, but I was completely surprised by the information received. Salesman told me that Easy Roaming for Smart Plan is actually different (in the way it works) than the one for prepaid. He told that for Easy Roaming included in the Smart Plan:
> 
> - you can (only) receive calls while abroad apparently from flexible minutes
> - you cannot make outgoing calls while abroad (be it local or international), unless you activate full roaming and pay AED 2000 deposit.
> 
> This is nowhere mentioned on the DU website, so I questioned the staff knowledge asking him to check. He asked the manager who confirmed the same....


Hi,
Well, as usual - they dont know their ar*e from their elbow!
I got told the same when i phoned Du call centre the first time before we travelled after getting our shiny new Iphone 5 on Du postpaid.
I then checked the Du website and activated smart roaming as previously mentioned.
It has worked ever since and i have not (and would never) paid a 2000 AED deposit!
Cheers
Steve


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## Malbec

I am completely pissed at DU. Activated Easy Roaming before leaving to UK, got SMS confirmation. Upon arrival locked myself to Vodafone UK (DU's preferred network), bought data but all call charges were not billed according to Easy Roaming rates! Instead, I was charged AED 4 / minute for incoming and AED 9 / minute for outgoing. I emailed DU and they said Easy Roaming is not active on my line! :confused2:


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## Malbec

I made a claim and they reimbursed the incorrectly posted charges.

@Stevesolar, can you confirm that on DU Smart Plan internet stops once the data allowance is used? My wife always miss the alert SMS on prepaid and is surprised later on that she cannot even make any calls once the data has been charged on per KB basis 

I know Etisalat has hard cap option which you can set and internet will stop once the data is used. What about DU?


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## Malbec

DU has released new prepaid plans "extra social", they look very attractive:
Easy Social | Prepaid Plans | Mobile UAE | du


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## Zeeshan08

I'm on Du postpaid, called the "her" plan, for businesswomen (put it under my wifes name).

I'm one of the few remaining BlackBerry users so my package is 200 AED for 400 national mins, 200 international mins, 0 SMS and 10GB Data. 

If you're not on BlackBerry you would get 2gb data everything else stays the same. 

I know 0 sms might seem shocking but theyre like 30 fils each and I use very little...everything and everyone for me is on whatsapp...just have your friends back in the states download it, its what I did and it works great. Generally friends won't sms you from the states because its like 49 cents to 79 cents a message, and whatsapp is free and everyone has unlimited data packages these days.


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## Malbec

Has anyone ported the number successfully? 

I have tried two days ago to port from DU to Etisalat by visiting Etisalat office, where they submitted all documents. Next day I got SMS from DU saying that it is rejected. I called Etisalat for the reason, they said it says the documents were not "readable".... So I went back to Etisalat, they made a copy of everything this time EID, passport, cc etc and got the SMS from DU today that it has been rejected as well. Called DU and they are not sure about the reason, but they said it seems documents provided are not clear enough :confused2:


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## Malbec

I have managed to port the number to Etisalat in the end.

It is interesting to note Etisalat introduced a new Smart Plan with 200flexi mins and 5GB data for AED 150, however 2year contract required.

Also AED 35 / day for unlimited data roaming across all GCC networks, more details here.


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