Lower phone call rates in the UAE soon

Call rates and tariffs for data transfer are likely to come down soon in the UAE as the two local telecom operators are jostling to arrest declining business.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has confirmed it has received applications from the two - etisalat and du – to reduce telecom tariff in the UAE, Arabic daily 'Al Khaleej' reported.

A joint committee consisting of TRA members and representatives from both the operators are currently discussing the issue extensively.

According to the report one of suggestions is to relate the tariffs to the kind of services availed by the consumer, which other words means a flexible tariff system.

The proposal, along with other pricing requests frequently received by TRA, is being discussed by the committee.

With a 90 per cent record of approval, it is likely that the new proposals to reduce call tariffs would get the Authority’s nod soon.

The proposals come following several recent surveys that indicated a demand for lower call rates, particularly for international calls.

The request also follows a general trend that makes telecom services cheaper worldwide, with prices for many services, especially Internet, lowered in the UAE as well.

The initiative also comes following a 26 per cent decline noticed in the revenue generated by etisalat from international calls made from mobile phones from 2008.

Recently, up to 30 fils per minute was reduced for calls to South Asian countries in an attempt to stem the decline, while roaming rates across the Gulf countries were unified and reduced up to 40 per cent.

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