Etisalat cuts broadband prices by 50 percent (UAE)

UAE based telecom operator Etisalat has announced a 50 percent reduction in its broadband prices with plans to cut down landline calling rates also in the pipeline. As per reports, the operator said that it had cut the price of its basic broadband package in the UAE and was studying a reduction of landline calling rates by 10 to 30 per cent.

Rashid Majid Al Abbar, the vice president of home products marketing for Etisalat, said the company had cut the price of its 1 megabits per second (mbps) internet package to US$32.52, down from $70.5 per month.

Al Abbar said the move by Etisalat was part of a plan to entice customers to use faster internet connections. He added that that is the long-term strategy. They want to have more high-speed customers.

Eventually, Etisalat will stop offering 256kbps and 512kbps packages, said Al Abbar. If customers are willingly migrating to these higher speeds, then eventually they see, down the line, they will not have these services. Etisalat also said it was studying the possibility of reducing the charges for calls made from UAE landlines.

He also said that the operator is proposing rate cuts of 10 to 30 per cent on local, as well as international calls to specific destinations. However, the international destinations to which calling charges will be cut are not yet finalised, but hinted that the countries include those in the Arab world and Asia.

The reduced landline rates should be implemented in the second half of this year, Al Abbar said. Such a move will require the approval of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.