Monday, September 25, 2006

Etisalat obstructing business.

You know my biggest complaint about the ISP that claims on its website "We enable people to reach each other, businesses to find new markets and everyone to fulfil their potential. Across the UAE, we provide telephone, TV and Internet services for everyone, and much more for businesses. We are increasingly present in international markets. Our customers enjoy the latest services and technologies, as well as a choice of great entertainment. Reach out. The world’s waiting."?

It's not the prices, outrageous as they are. It's not the infantile blocking of perfectly valid websites.

It's the lack of speed they give us for work on the internet.

I pay for 512Kbps, but ten years ago in Australia my old-fashioned dial-up was much, much faster. It doesn't matter what speed you pay for, it's all the same snail's pace result.

It flies in the face of the government's drive for Dubai to be a modern international city, a hub for international businesses. Staff sitting staring at blank screens waiting for websites to open isn't the way modern businesses need to run.

What seems to have escaped the notice of people in a position to do something about it is that companies and people do not have to relocate to Dubai. They have many other options, even in the Gulf.

Going back to the early seventies, companies left Beirut because of the civil war and re-located largely to Cyprus, Athens, Dubai, Bahrain. Many of those which had gone to Cyprus & Athens re-re-located because telecommunications were so bad. Many came on to Dubai because telecommunications were so good. A lesson Etisalat and those who control it need to remember, before it's too late.

making it hard for you to reach out

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Etisalat offers one of the worst, most overpriced internet services of any place in the world. It is in the business of printing money. Today, 2 MB internet is next to free in UK. In Japan, the average speed is over 50 MB. Up until a few weeks ago Etisalat's highest speed tariff was 2 MB. Now it offers up to 4 MB for AED 450 ($123) per month, which should not be more than $30 by any stretch.

I am appalled by the ignorance and lack of protest by the general public in Dubai as they are robbed.

Anonymous said...

well a big improvement for Etisalat (or so ...)
last month du released 12Mb broadband for the price of 650 aed
2-3 weeks later i went to Etisalat for a business meeting regarding work. surprisngly i heared the good news i was told they just released a 16 Mb for the price of 550 Aed . Happy so far. I went home and checked their site check what i found.
Prices list:
16 mb ---------> 550 Aed
8 mb ---------> 500 Aed
4 mb ---------> 450 Aed
2 mb ---------> 350 AED
1 mb ---------> 250 Aed
they didnt lower the prices at all.
translation of All of this take either 1 mb or 16 mb. so lame
Back in the uk i used to pay around 200 aed for 10mb 3 years ago. Has anyone tried the 16 yet
cound u test the bandwidth and tell us about it.