Etisalat unveils new roaming tariffs

Etisalat has released new roaming prices for worldwide destinations based on three zones, as it plays catch-up with rival operator Du, which unified its roaming rates last year.

International outbound roamers with Etisalat will be charged one of three rates according to their location, and post-paid users will make a saving of AED0.50 ($0.13) per minute compared with pre-paid users on most tariffs.

Etisalat's pre-paid Wasel account holders, which account for the majority of users, will pay AED2 for incoming calls within the GCC, AED3.50 in other Arab countries, and AED4.50 in all other countries.

This compares with a flat rate of AED1.25 charged by rival operator Du for incoming calls from any number, anywhere in the world.

Under the new tariffs, outgoing local calls for Etisalat's Wasel users now cost AED2.50 in the GCC, AED3.50 in other Arab countries, and AED5.50 for the rest of the world. Outgoing calls to the UAE are charged at AED4 from GCC countries, AED7 from other Arab nations, and AED11 from all other countries.

The prices differ significantly from Du's roaming fees for outgoing calls, which have been heavily promoted under its ‘One World, One Rate' banner. Du charges AED1.25 for outgoing local calls in other GCC countries, AED 2 for local calls in other Arab countries, and AED5 for local calls in all other countries.

Calls back to the UAE are also broadly cheaper with Du than Etisalat. Du charges AED3 to call the UAE from other GCC countries, AED6 from other Arab counties, and AED9 from the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, Wasel users will pay AED1.50, AED2, and AED2.50 for sending text messages to other GCC countries, other Arab countries and all other countries respectively. This compares with Du's charges of AED1 for sending texts from GCC countries, and AED2 from all other countries.