Telcos announce new roaming rates within the GCC

Dubai: Telecom operators du and etisalat will reduce its roaming rates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states from April 1 in line with the announcement made by the GGC’s Secretariat-General.

The reduction will be applicable for local calls within the roaming country, incoming calls while roaming and text messages.

Sources close to etisalat said that the discount on standard rates is two per cent on outgoing voice calls to the UAE or any other GCC country, five per cent on outgoing calls to the local destination, 76 per cent on outgoing SMS and up to 90 per cent on data usage for prepaid and post-paid customers.

Roaming customers will only be charged Dh0.95 per minute for all local calls made within the visited GCC country, Dh0.29 for all sent SMSs while roaming, while data roaming will only cost customers Dh4.77 per MB for both prepaid and postpaid customers.

The stakeholders’ plan to reduce call rates for a period of three years and the data rates for five years.

The new unified rates aim to simplify customers’ lives and ensure a seamless experience during their travel by staying connected with their family, friends and business associates through their original numbers without the need to purchase a new SIM from each destination within the GCC.

“As a telecommunications provider, it is our responsibility to create social and financial ecosystems that truly benefit our valued customers, and add life to their day to day communication needs. This announcement is a step that will enrich the bond between all GCC countries by boosting tourism and business in parallel,” Fahad Al Hassawi, chief commercial officer at du, said in a statement.

The roaming rates within the GCC are slightly higher when compared to other countries but the main issue is the data services.

“Rates for data services are extremely high when compared to other countries,” Sukhdev Singh, vice-president at market research and analysis services provider AMRB, told Gulf News.

“It is a positive move and will smoothen the businesses but I don’t think it is going to drastically change business dynamics,” he said.

The move is expected to save $1.13 billion (Dh4.15 billion) for mobile users inside the GCC countries in the first phase.