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Best telecom service provider in the UAE

Posted by Gunjan Gadal

There is nothing that a good telecom service can’t do. From connecting people to aiding social distancing, and managing human movement, a good telecom service is the way of the world. In UAE, there is only one question posed to telecom service providers; “which network should I get?” The answer varies among these top three network operators contenders: du, Etisalat, and Virgin Mobile UAE.

Why pay the big bucks when you just want to connect with your loved ones with the best telecom companies? VoucherCodes.ae gives you the power to choose the best companies in Dubai in your budget with coupon codes and deals, you simply cannot refuse! Let us browse through the pros and cons of telecom services in the UAE.

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Etisalat or du or Virgin Mobile? Which one is better?

While Etisalat is the oldest and reigning telecom service provider, du and Etisalat and its flagship, Virgin Mobile, are keeping up with the post-pandemic times. Let’s have a look at the table below to get a better look at the various plans offered by the telecom service providers in the United Arabs before coming to a conclusion.

VIRGIN MOBILE UAE

Future of mobile.

Virgin Mobile UAE is more youth-oriented with app-based registration for a SIM. This app-based telecom service provider allows user to design their own customized plans. Launched as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) or simply known as a virtual network, the Virgin Mobile UAE app is focused more on the young and individuals who are tech-savvy.

Services and perks:

• The company allows you to choose a preferred number and even delivers the SIM card to your doorstep anywhere in the UAE.
• Users have a choice over the minutes for calls and data according to their needs, making this option its Ultimate Selling Point. Making the deal even better, Virgin Mobile lets you change the plan every month until you find the one that suits you best.
• More flexible than du and Etisalat, the Virgin Mobile UAE app lets you combine various bundles – making it easy on the pocket. It is also surprising that prepaid plans from Virgin Mobile also match the postpaid plans from the other two telecom service providers to some extent.
• With the option to customize plans, flexibility to change plans to suit your needs, and fast and seamless service, Virgin Mobile UAE promises the “future of mobile.”

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Related Article:  Virgin Mobile UAE: All you need to know about your next best plan

The oldest and the most trusted

The company set up in 1976 offers a wide array of home and mobile solutions, giving users various options before settling down with the plan of their choice. Etisalat ’s robust connectivity across the country makes it stand out from the rest of the telecom service providers.

If you’re looking for something that’s light on the pocket, Etisalat network has some prepaid plans that can suit your requirements without being too heavy on the expenses. There are also options of add-ons on plans that you have chosen. This allows you to make a choice between spending more on data and lesser-priced voice call bundles as well as going in for a combined package that best suits your requirements.

• Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etisalat offers three choices for prepaid customers: Wasel, Wasel Premium, and Visitor options. The oldest telecom service provider in the United Arab Emirates combines plans in its prepaid packages such as; one day, one week, one month, local calling as well as global calling packages.
• Not lagging behind, the company has also started offering free SIM delivery services. If you want to replace your existing prepaid SIM card with Etisalat’s, just register on the website and have the company home-deliver the SIM card via an authorized delivery agent.
• The Wasel plan is the least priced of the three prepaid plans in Etisalat’s lineup. The Wasel Premium plans offer the pre-paid user a preferred number and a 3GB data pack each month for the initial six months. The final Visitor plan offers discount vouchers and a Careem ride as well.

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Strong network coverage

The other prominent telecom service provider in the UAE, du has registered a swift growth in a space dominated by Etisalat due to its flexible plans and by-the-second billing system. The company offers strong network coverage in the region, making it another enticing option.

A quick look at plans on du’s website says it all. Depending on your choice, you can go ahead and click on the best plan to get started.

• The company offers various monthly, weekly, and daily prepaid plans giving several choices for users.
• It also has tourist plans with limited validity for those who are in UAE for a limited period or for those who would like to test the connectivity in their area.
• For those who like to pay their bills at the end of the month, du has several postpaid plans to suit your needs.

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With all three telecom companies offering a 5G download speed, it couldn’t get any better. Almost all prepaid and postpaid plans carry an additional 5% VAT charge on top of the monthly prices quoted by the companies.

du vs Etisalat vs Virgin. The verdict

VoucherCodes.ae took a survey and found out that while Etisalat reigns supreme, the young generation is more bound towards Virgin Mobile UAE, mainly because of the flexibility of the plans. They also claim telecom to be the “future” for keeping up with apps. However, it is best to check out the connectivity and network strength in your area. So choose what suits you best before committing to a contract.

If you’re looking for ways to make more savings, there is a better and easier way for you to find the coupons you need! Visit Couponbot.com and let the bot find you the best deals, such as du codes , Etisalat coupons , and Virgin Mobile codes . Get access to hundreds of coupons with a few simple clicks right away! Chat with Chatbots and get the perfect coupon for you instantly!

FAQs on the best telecom services in UAE

1. Which is the best mobile network in UAE?

Amongst the 3 telecom services in the UAE, Etisalat still has the best mobile network in the UAE, but du is not far behind and has equally great coverage while the young generation is seen to prefer Virgin Mobile more.

2. United Arab Emirates mobile:  Is du or Etisalat UAE  better?

Etisalat has been around for decades now. du is about 10-12 years old. Although du is catching up gradually, Etisalat still stands to be the better.

3. What are the telecom operators network providers in UAE?

• koohiji group
• Krishna International
• site technology
• telephone system international

4. What services does Elisat Telecom provide?

Etisalat offers premium international services, enabling its customers to enjoy competitive international calling rates to all countries across the globe. Etisalat also provides high-speed Internet services, ADSL for homes, while launching fixed landline services to become the first fully digital operator.

5. What services does UAE telecom Du provide?

Du offers fixed telephony, mobile services as well as broadband connectivity, and IPTV services to individuals, homes, and businesses. The company also provides carrier services for businesses and satellite up/downlink services for TV broadcasters.

About The Author

Gunjan Gadal

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Du and Etisalat Telecom Companies: Market and Financial Positions

Introduction

This report analyses the market and financial positions of Du and Etisalat telecom companies by comparing the main financial and market strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A review of financial statements of the companies for the years 2015-2019 and relevant data are used to show the trend analysis of the companies. The United Arab Emirates has Du and Etisalat as the major telecommunication companies.

Overview of Du

Du which is also known as “Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company”, is a company that operates in telecommunication in the United Arab Emirates (Alghawi and Abdullah 112). Osman Sultan the Chief Executive Officer and founder of the company since 2006 established its headquarters in Dubai. The services of the company include mobile communication, fixed-line, digital television, and internet services.

An approximate 100,000 UAE companies are affiliated to the ICT and managing services offered by Du. In addition, it formed an MoU that recognizes it as the official partner of strategic planning for the Smart Dubai Platform Provider (Du 2016). Media companies are also a market for the company since it has services of carrier and satellite linking. In 2019, Du was recognized as the nation’s preferred Telecommunication network at the fifth chapter of the yearly Filipino Times Awards. Since its inception, the company has gradually developed and improved the quality and range of its network coverage. Because of the active development, it is now a major competitor of Etisalat. Today, Du has opened up retail shops of mobile communication in more than 30 locations. It has also formed a partnership with Emirates links, Axiom technology, and Jumbo.

Overview of Etisalat

Etisalat is ranked 13 among the largest mobile telecom operators globally and is also the giant in telecommunication services in the United Arab Emirates (Alghawi and Abdullah 11). Before 2006, Etisalat was the only mobile operator and had more than 149 million subscribers to its mobile operations in the UAE. The company has opened outlets in London, New York, Singapore, Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam that represent its outsourced services and headquarter in Abu Dhabi.

The company’s logo is an easy spot because of the unique giant ball that is often put on rooftops of buildings. The range of products offered by the company includes voice and bundled services in fixed and mobile networks. Etisalat has established its presence in 18 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The mission of the company is to widen the reach of its services to people.

As mentioned earlier, the stiff competitor is Du a mobile operator that has a market share of 37%. The year ended 2015; Etisalat had total revenue of $14.08 billion and a net profit of $2.26 billion.

Economic and Market Overview

Du market and economic overview.

According to Osman Sultan, Du had a positive 2015 and subsequent years. The company has focused on rejuvenating the company’s business and prioritizing innovation as the basis of the mission and vision. He highlighted that 2015 was a profitable year for the company.

The strategic objectives and planning brought positive results through the main indicator for another successful year in the nine years positive run. The company registered a growth of AED 12.34 billion in 2015 which was a positive deviation of 0.8%. The company had a sum of AED 13.0 billion in 2017 which was an increase from the previous AED 12.7 billion of 2016. The net profit stabilized at recurring levels for the year ended 2018 and 2019 respectively. The demand for connectivity by customers in 2015 increased which transformed to a high margin of growth in the mobile data income to AED 2.96 billion by an index of 7.3%. Through the years, mobile data has represented the highest percentage of revenue at a deviation of averages 4% each year from the 32% of 2015.

The demand of the customers translated to more digital-oriented service delivery, and since this gives development is dominating the market and increasing the monetary advantages, Du implemented the strategy that put the business in the best competitive position to establish the company as the sole integrated digital operator (Abdulla, 2016).

Etisalat Market and Economic Overview

The total subscribers of Etisalat have increased over the years and recorded an addition of 7.9 million in one year to reach 149 million mobile subscribers in 2019. The number of mobile subscribers increased every year by 1% and reached 10.8 million customers subscribing to the post-pay service. The increase in post-pay subscribers led to a decrease of prepaying subscribers by 1%.

The implemented services of Etisalat caused the growth of 2% every year to a population of more than 1 million. The revenue of Etisalat telecom stabilized in 2019 at AED 52.2 billion which was affected by inconsistency in the exchange rates. The exchange rates similarly increased yearly by 1%. The unstable behavior of the exchange rates did not affect the revenue in the UAE which was balanced at AED 31.5 billion. This balance was because of the increased subscription to the premium services and data plans with higher speed. The currency exchange rate in Pakistan rupee and Moroccan Dirham impacted the negative 1% yearly revenue to AED 20.4 billion.

Services offered in Egypt registered a positive deviation of 22% which presented revenue of AED 3.4 billion (Alshebli 2016). The revenue in Pakistan fell by 17% in the previous years and increased by 2% in local currency due to the good behavior of the premium subscription packages and fixed broadband. The year ended 2019 had a debt amounting to AED 23.9 billion which had increased from 23.5 billion of the previous year.

SWOT Analysis

Du swot analysis, improved services in the ict department.

The UAE government has made information and communication Technology its main priority to develop and improve smart services in the UAE. The 2019 financial year was the year that ICT development was made the main agenda in satisfying the digital needs of the customers. Du formed partnerships with digital technology firms and sealed lucrative contracts. For the ICT department to meet its target, it launched a high-level megawatt data center which is projected to operate soon.

Wide Range of Innovative Ideas and Initiatives

Since 2016, Du has prioritized digitalizing the business and confirmed that innovation is at the center of the company’s activities. The company committed itself to the UAE’s government agenda of improving the experience of the people in the digital era (Alshebli 65). A project launched by the government ‘Smart Government’ and ‘Smart City’ were initiatives that were launched to enhance life experiences. As a result, Du built a basis for the Smart City with Wi-Fi UAE and presented in the summit of the internet of things network in the Middle East.

Stable Financial Statements

The evolving business tactics that consider subscription needs are at the core which has to enable Du to maintain strong financial statements. Over the years, Du has kept a constant improvement in annual revenues and an increase in the income from mobile data services. In addition, the fixed-line program contributed positively to the deviation in revenue each year. The investors also got a better share of the dividends every year because of the growth in net profit annually before royalty.

Effective strategic planning from the launching of the Virgin Mobile Brand

Cheaper Package Costs: Du offers a wide range of services and has cheaper pricing when compared to Etisalat the main competitor, the subscribers believe that the prices are fair and pick Du. This plan has enabled them to get a loyal customer base in the UAE.

The Digital TV Service: The DU TV+ has been customized with quick access features like rewinding, pausing, and recording live programs on TV. The subscribers get a wide option of the latest programs to watch that are in HD and 3D.

Efficient Customer Service with Multiple Languages

Du has a customer service that offers multiple languages like English, Bengali, Hindi, and Arabic which represents the different communities living in the UAE.

Poor Connectivity Issues

The subscribers to the Du services often report complaints that the Du’s signal is available in some locations in the UAE, and this causes calls to end or poor voice quality when they make calls.

Emerging Company

Since it was just formed less than two decades ago, Du found Etisalat operating on the market for many years (Agwu 81). For this reason, it is hard to get customers to shift from the other company because of the trust they have built with them. Customers are therefore not yet familiar with the services that Du offers.

Opportunities

Improvement in its technology.

Du has wide technological resources that can enable the widening of the signal and improving the speed of the internet to be at the level of international quality standards. This will serve the demand for internet service that has increased largely over the years.

Invest in the International Market

As a plan to further the growth of the company, Du can open its services in the neighboring countries. The increasing number of subscribers in the UAE has made substantial profits for Du which can satisfy the growing demand for cheaper internet services globally.

Introduce New Products and Services

Du has wide options of services that have won against its main competitor; this has been considered a good reputation. For a better competing position, they should be more innovative in order to maintain the good qualities that they offer.

The emergence of New Competition

The telecom market is constantly growing in Saudi Arabia, and Du might have a problem if new companies enter the market and offer better services than they do (Alarjani 42). In order to remain at its level, Du has to come up with new tactics every time to cushion against new competitors.

Influence on the Pricing of Services

Du has introduced an approach of paying per second because of the increase in the demand for low prices. If a competitor comes with the same approach at a cheaper cost, Du will be compelled to make the same changes to stay in the competition which will cause a decrease in their prices and revenue.

Constant Shift in the Subscriber’s Number

The problems of poor signal and call connectivity issues may cause customers to shift back to competitors that have a better service if the problems are not addressed by Du.

Etisalat SWOT Analysis

Biggest network.

Etisalat is the largest telecom company in the Middle East and Asia and ranks at position 12 in the whole world. This geographical coverage gives it access to different market segments and a large customer base.

Market Share

The current market share value of Etisalat is at AED 156 billion. This is because of the high profiting telecom groups that make a net income of about AED 52.4 billion and a net profit of 8.4 billion.

International Data Company

Etisalat provides innovative services across 15 countries and about 149 million customers. As a result, it had a competitive advantage in terms of the ease with which it can market its products to a global audience and penetrate foreign markets.

Proper Customer Experience

Etisalat provides the best customer experience locally and in an external territory. It gives an attractive dividend share to the shareholders and manages to invest in the long-term goals of the company.

Poor Maintenance of Connectivity Levels

The Company has its services in a large territory which could lead to relaying poor quality services that will not be easy to maintain. A 2020 report by Open Signal indicated that although signal strengths, and by extension connectivity had improved within the UAE, the same could not be said in other markets (Khatri 2020). Weak signal strengths in non-UAE markets are a major challenge for Etisalat, especially in the context of the global efforts to upgrade to the faster 5G network. Accordingly, the large geographical area, while presenting Etisalat with the opportunity to globalize more easily, also presents the challenge of straining the company’s resources to maintain reliably strong signals. One possible outcome of this situation is the company risking losing customers in low-signal areas to its market rivals.

Difficulty in Managing International Operations

The global presence of the company is a problem to the management in terms of streamlining functions and maintaining similar standards across all of its markets. Granted, this is a challenge that all multinationals struggle with on a routine basis. However, Etisalat’s challenge is compounded by the fact that the company provides services that cannot easily be segmented to target various market niches. For instance, all mobile users want strong signals and fast video download speeds. Satisfying this need for all of its customers is a big challenge, compared to its main rival Su. The implication of this situation is that the company must come up with a way to streamline managerial functions across all market regions to ensure that provides consistent and reliable network signals.

Unaffordable Calling Rates

Customers usually have second thoughts when deciding to use the Etisalat network due to the high calling rates. In May 2020, the company was forced to adjust its international calling rates to keep up with the packages offered by Du (National Business 2020). This fact suggests that Etisalat may in the future lose customers if it fails to keep with the pricing wars with its competitor Du.

Improved Services to Customers

Etisalat offers a wide range of products, which and can help the company to maintain its market control and minimize risks through diversification. For instance, the company’s position as a provider of bundled packages places it in a better position to diversity into video calling services, which are becoming popular as a result of the uptake of new technologies like WhatsApp.

Stable Financial Position

Etisalat’s success and profitability are sustained by its strong financial position. For instance, the company has a high liquidity ratio, which enables it to invest in new technologies quickly, for example, the ongoing upgrades to 5G networks. At t the same time, the company’s heavy presence within the UAE has allowed it to take advantage of the country’s high GDP and consumer purchasing power.

Mobile Number Portability

The customers can change from one network operator to another and still retain their numbers if they feel that one operator is not giving them the best services. Etisalat can use this opportunity to offer better services to gain a bigger share of the market.

Emergence Of New Competition

The telecom market is constantly growing because many companies come up with better services that are more affordable (Ameen and Willis 13). Considering the expensive nature of Etisalat services, this can be a serious threat.

Stiff Competition From Du

Etisalat has been facing continuing competition from Du which keeps on getting an increase in the market share. If Etisalat does not innovate to provide superior services and offer customers competitive prices, it risks losing some of its market share to Du.

Services Offered by other Telecom Companies

The services offered by parallel companies attract many customers which grab most from the Etisalat Company.

Financial Analysis

Horizontal analysis.

Trend Analysis

In between 2015 and 2019, Etisalat has experienced a drop of more than half in the Assets and Liabilities of the company while owners’ equity has seen a substantial rise which means that they liquidated their assets to meet the investors’ expectations. This behavior is similar to Du’s figures as they had a drop in the assets and liabilities but maintained the owner’s equity to keep the investors happy.

Etisalat has heavily invested in 2019 as compared to the previous years and it looks like they had a setback when they did not invest in 2018. Their financing cash flows have been rising since 2017 to keep the operating cash flow stable through time. While Du financed their cash flows and abandoned their investments which still kept their operating cash flow above AED 5 million through the years.

Etisalat has had a hard time realizing shooting profits despite changing its operating cash flow strategies. Even when they reduced the operating cash flow the profit margin maintained at the same level and increased in 2018 when the operating cash flow was reduced. Du has failed to improve the operating profit of the company despite increasing its operating cash flow.

Vertical Analysis

Financial Ratios

Liquidity analysis.

Liquidity analysis measures the ability of a company to cater to expenses that are in a short period of time. It, therefore, shows the capability of quickly converting the available resources into money (Linares-Mustarós et al. 5). It is able to save a business from going into unnecessary debts and also means that a company is able to carry out its daily activities when the liquidity ratio is high.

The Networking capital and Current Ratio of both the companies have been reduced. However, Du has a big drop showing that it’s liquid and therefore making debts. Etisalat maintained the gap to a small difference-making good use of the assets to generate income.

Activity Analysis

Activity ratios determine the company’s ability to convert available resources into cash. It gives figures on how the management uses its assets to generate income.

The inventory turnover of Etisalat has gradually increased in 2019 and the payable turnover means that it takes the company fewer days in 365 days to be able to pay its creditors. The trend is similar to that of Du as the distribution of days come related.

Solvency and Debt Management

Solvency measures the company’s ability to be able to compensate its long-term debts.

The Debt ratio of Etisalat is relatively low which means that they have had fewer debt amounts in 2019 when compared to 2018 and also fewer when compared to that of Du.

Profitability Analysis

This is commonly used as the tool for measuring the significance of a company. It gives the figures of how the shareholders and the company benefit through dividends and extra profit.

The Return on Assets for both companies is averaging 42 for the two years meaning the company is not using debts unnecessary to finance its operations. The Return on equity is also high which means that the shareholders are motivated to invest in the companies.

Conclusion and Suggestions

The current ratio of both companies is very low. They depend on debt to achieve their strategic plans which makes them be dependent. The companies should introduce tactics that they can use to utilize the assets to make revenue.

The two companies have maintained a good balance in the days they take to compensate for what they owe. This also applied to the customer turnover and that of their creditors.

Both Etisalat and Du do not rely on Debt to finance their operations, which means they utilize their assets to create revenue and can be independent. However, their number dropped from 2018 and if they don’t take the necessary actions, it means that their debt ratio will rise.

The Return on Assets for both of the companies was below average but at a good index. An improvement to the converting of assets into cash will improve their ROA and ROE which will also encourage more investors to stake in the companies.

Works Cited

Agwu, Mba, O. “Corporate Social Responsibility and Non-Financial Organizational Performance in Etisalat Telecommunication Company United Arab Emirate.” Journal of Business School , vol. 2 no. 1, 2019, 80-98.

Alarjani, Hasan, M. An Analysis of the Role of Competitive Intelligence (Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence) in Globalisation of Saudi Arabia ICT firms . University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2019.

Alghawi, Ali, and Mahra, Abdullah. “Telecommunications Regulation in the UAE: The Interconnectedness of Better Governance and Regulatory Performance.” Political Science Theses , vol. 10, 2019, pp. 1-132. Web.

Alshebli, Abdulla. Improving Capabilities and Strategic Fit in Governmental Agencies: The Case of Abu Dhabi Government Infrastructure Sector. University of Wolverhampton, 2016.

Ameen, Nisreen, and Robert, Willis. “An Investigation of the Challenges Facing the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in United Arab Emirates from the Young Consumers’ Perspective.” Econstor . International Telecommunications Society, 2016.

Du. Smart Dubai Announces the Smart Dubai Platform with Strategic Partner, du . EITC, 2016, Web.

Khatri, Hardik. “United Arab Emirates Mobile Network Experience Report 2020. Open Signal , Web.

Linares-Mustarós, Salvador, Germà Coenders, and Marina Vives-Mestres. “Financial Performance and Distress Profiles: From Classification According to Financial Ratios to Compositional Classification.” Advances in Accounting, vol. 40, 2018, pp. 1-10. Elsevier. Web.

The National Business. “Etisalat Cuts International Call Rates.” The National Business , 2020, Web.

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BusinessEssay. (2023, January 8). Du and Etisalat Telecom Companies: Market and Financial Positions. https://business-essay.com/du-and-etisalat-telecom-companies-market-and-financial-positions/

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BusinessEssay . 2023. "Du and Etisalat Telecom Companies: Market and Financial Positions." January 8, 2023. https://business-essay.com/du-and-etisalat-telecom-companies-market-and-financial-positions/.

1. BusinessEssay . "Du and Etisalat Telecom Companies: Market and Financial Positions." January 8, 2023. https://business-essay.com/du-and-etisalat-telecom-companies-market-and-financial-positions/.

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Planning to buy a visitor package (SIM card and pay as you go air time).

Which one is better regarding retail outlet locations, coverage, rates and customer service?

du - much cheaper as you are charged by the second, the SIM package is cheaper (60 Dhs as opposed to Etisalat 160 Dhs) and their rates for international calls better.

However Du's network coverage is pretty crap (speaking from experience)compared to Etisalat, I agree with Harry about the rest though.

They are a new operator and their coverage has improved hugely recently and is increasing everyday.

I recently switched to them from Etisalat and haven't had a coverage issue.

I had several in the last 2 weeks.

Also if you buy your Etisalat package from a petrol station (eppco) they are AED 150 and you get a AED50 card to spend at any eppco, I know not great but they do sell cigarettes, sweets, boxes of chocs etc etc.

If your not bothered about being contactable all the time and are happy to wait for a signal to call someone then go with Du because they are a bit cheaper.

Du kind of reminded me of when 3 mobile started up in the UK and it was hard to get coverage - but as mentioned above they will get better over time.

Also Du had loads of offers on when you bought top up cards. Like pay AED25 get AED50 credit.

Hi Hannah - where were you getting the coverage problems?

All over really Harry not one particular place, but everytime my phone wouldnt work my Mam's always was working perfectly.

Had problems at Atlantis where I couldnt get a signal at all. Dont know why?? I asked the reception guy as he was wondering why I was stomping around his reception with my mobile above my head and he did mention lots had problems with Du on the Palm???

I only got them becuase they were cheaper than Etisalat but ended up switching back to Etisalat after a few days or carrying both because I needed to make and recieve lots of calls.

As the saying generally goes here, DU don't!! :)

As Harry rightly says, they are improving and my visitors have taken advantage of the good offers they have.

When they first started, they had no signal whatsoever in Madinat. Now it seems they have Palm issues (which is strange because they cover the Marina, etc. - i.e., you cannot get an Etisalat line down there).

I'd say if you don't need to be 100% available 100% of the time (that is, you can afford to have some times of your stay when your 'phone doesn't work), then you will be fine with DU because it will be intermittent.

Alternatively, if there are two of you, take one Etisalat and one DU. OR if you can go halves on one SIM, then just go for one Etisalat!

Interesting about the coverage issues. I’ve always been with Etisalat because having had problems with various providers in the UK I wanted the best coverage.

However, my partner’s company have been experimenting with du for the last couple of months as they were getting such terrible customer service (not coverage) from Etisalat and they’ve not had any problems reported with du.

Given hannah’s problems I’d go with Etisalat because it’s very frustrating to hunt around for a signal.

du also has a new card called WOW which seems like a good deal for international cards.

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Etisalat offers better postpaid mobile value than du: report

Plans have higher average download speeds, include more services at lower prices

Dubai: Etisalat is providing better value for postpaid mobile phone customers than du in the UAE, according to new study conducted by US-based telecommunications research firm Tarifica, a unit of T3i Group.

The Tarifica Score is a comprehensive algorithm that weighs every feature of a mobile plan (including usage allotments, geographic coverage, data speeds, value added features and promotional elements) against its total costs, determining its precise consumer value relative to all other offers in the country. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

Plans were divided into two categories, “With Phone” and “SIM only,” and then subdivided into four price segments, creating a total of eight groupings. While etisalat and du each won the Tarifica Top Value Plan award in four market segments, in half of those that du won there was no qualifying plan from etisalat — meaning these wins were uncontested.

“In the majority of cases where etisalat’s plans were compared head-to-head with du, the former offered demonstrably better consumer value. This value differential was driven by the fact that etisalat’s plans had higher average download speeds, generally included more services and were offered at lower prices than those from rival du,” said Tarifica analyst Susan Cray.

The telecom operators were unavailable for comments.

Both the telecom operators have been offering packages to rival others in bid to add more subscribers. With the launch of mobile number portability (MNP), the competition has become intense.

Etisalat had 10.8 million subscribers while du had 7.5 million as of third quarter of this year.

Even when du offered promotions such as the 10GB data promotion, she said that the improvement in features only tended to raise the consumer value of its plans to the base level of etisalat’s offers.

“In short, whether individuals are looking to maximise their mobile spend or have the fastest speed, we would generally recommend etisalat,” she said.

In today’s mobile marketplace, she said that consumers are flooded with hundreds of plan variations and constantly shifting promotions and deals — the majority of which come with different costs and services and access networks of differing strengths.

The Tarifica Score is currently deployed in a dozen countries on five continents and its methodology has been recognised by worldwide business and technology publications, including The Financial Times.

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Etisalat and du shares surge on plan to increase foreign ownership limit in stocks

Etisalat stock climbs 14.9% while du rises by 14.6% on tuesday as investors expect higher liquidity levels.

January 19, 2021

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Business Complete Plans | du™

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Choose the plan that’s right for your business from below., aed 950 /month +5% vat, business complete 100.

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Limited time offer free ecommerce starter kit (1st year) domain estore professional emails, microsoft office 365 teams ms web applications business email teams 1 license, 1 domain name, internet router and firewall enterprise firewall standard internet router integrated wifi access point analytics dashboard management portal, monthly plan after 12 months aed 1,250.

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Monthly plan after 12 months aed 1,300, aed 1,350 /month +5% vat, business complete 375.

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Monthly plan after 12 months aed 1,650, aed 1,750 /month +5% vat, business complete 500.

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• What is the Business Complete? The Business Complete is an all-inclusive solution that gives businesses the best start. When you subscribe, you will enjoy a faster Broadband, a digital voice line, a business email and storage, MS Teams, a free advanced router with Wi-Fi and much more.
• What’s included in the Business Complete promotion? The Business Complete promotion is a limited-time offer that gives you an all-inclusive solution for businesses to get started, including a 1-year subscription of the eCommerce Starter Kit, powered by the market leader in this segment, GoDaddy Inc. Please visit www.du.ae/ecommercekit for more details.
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A basic activation of the license valued at AED 50 per license is free for the Business Complete plans.

• To activate the Office 365 services, tick the relevant boxes and specify the licenses and the usernames in the application form. If not specified at the time of submitting the application form, these services cannot be availed.
• What is the router that comes with the Business Complete plans? For the new Business Complete plans activations and based on the subscribed speed, you will be provided with a Dual band Wi-Fi, voice ports, Gigabit LAN, USB ports for file sharing and firewall for the Standard Router, and a Dual band Wi-Fi with MIMO, voice ports, Gigabit LAN & WAN, USB ports for file sharing, security and firewall capabilities and a LTE backup supported (LTE service not included in the plan) for the Advance Router.

• Visiting the nearest du shop with the required documents
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• What will happen if I upgrade/downgrade my plan within the commitment period? In case of an upgrade/downgrade of the same plan within the commitment period, the contract will not be reset, and the remaining commitment months will continue counting from the original date of activation. Note : While upgrading or downgrading, you will have to keep the same Cisco IP handset that you received upon subscribing to the Business Complete plan.
• Migrating to the Business Complete plans is subject to AED 200 as a one-time activation fee.
• You will be eligible for a Standard or Advanced router and a Standard or IP handset phone.
• Downgrading to a lower monthly fee plan is not possible. You will need to deactivate the existing plan to activate the new one.
• Any modification of the service will trigger a new commitment of 12 months.

To migrate to the new Business Complete plans, you need to cancel your existing Business Complete subscription and then subscribe to the new Business Complete plan. Please note that if your current Business Complete service is under contract, an early termination charge and a 30 days’ notice will apply. The early termination charge is one month's fee, plus the remaining value of the device (value of the device divided by 12 into the remaining number of the contract’s months. i.e. the device value / 12 months * the remaining contract’s months -1). Note : When migrating from the current Business Complete plan to the new plans, the existing landline’s (Business Line) number and service can’t be migrated to the Hosted Voice. However, you can keep the landline and pay a separate MRC for it.

If you have a device with an Ethernet port such as a laptop, you can connect your device directly to the router using an Ethernet cable to check the speed. You can also go to http://speed.duhosting.ae/ and test your speed.

Yes. You can merge your existing Hosted Voice/Office 365 with the Business Complete plan. However, please note that we only give one Hosted Voice service with the Business Complete plan, therefore, only one Hosted Voice line can be merged.

The Router is Plug and Play. There is no configuration required.

Please contact your Service/Account Manager or our Call Centre on 800 188. The customer care can create a TT to change your Wi-Fi password.

• Do I have to reconfigure or change the router when I upgrade or downgrade the Business Complete package to a higher speed? Depending on the target speed, we may change the router to support the new speed.
• For speeds up to 375 Mbps, AED 2,500
• For speeds 500 Mbps and above, AED 3,500

The router comes with 12-month standard warranty.

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You can contact your du Service/Account Manager or call our call center at 800188 and they will take the necessary action to replace the faulty or lost router.

No. The analogue Business line cannot be converted into a Hosted Voice.

No. We are not providing a static IP with the new activations.

All the Business Complete plan components will be charged in the same single converged bill showing the speed you have subscribed to. Charges will appear under the ‘Business bundle services summary’ and under the ‘Business bundles details’ sections of your bill.

No. After completing the minimum term of 12 months, you can choose to renew with a yearly contract or continue on a monthly plan at a higher monthly charge without commitment, by giving a written notice about the preferred option 30 days prior to the expiry of the minimum term.

Yes, SMS and email notifications will be sent to the authorised signatory’s email address and mobile number on 30, 15, and 1-day before the contract expires.

• What will happen if I cancel my Business Complete plan subscription before the contract minimum term? If you choose to cancel the subscription contract or any of its components, the bundle will break, and early termination fees will apply. The early termination charge for the Business Complete plan with the Enterprise Security License Router is one month's fee plus the remaining value of the router (value of the router divided by 12 into the remaining number of the contract’s months - 1 month). The Advanced Security License has an additional termination charge. Example: If you have the new Business Complete 375 Mbps with the advanced router, and you cancel after 6 months, your cancellation charges will be: 1 Month MRC = AED 1,350 + the router value for the remaining months = AED 916.67. AED 2,200 /12 x 6 months – 1 month. The total termination fee would be AED 2,266.67

Yes. The router has to be returned during the service’s cancellation. Depending on the status of the router, and in case it is functioning and in good condition, we will not charge you the router cost.

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Mobile Carrier Battle: Du vs Etisalat

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Du vs Etisalat... Is one preferred over the other? Is one cheaper? Does one provide better coverage? Faster speeds? Are plan structures better with one? Is there any benefit to utilizing the same company for mobile and home Internet/phone?  

At home you do not generally have much of a choice - a building is generally covered by either Etisalat or Du, but not both. Also, in general, I haven't come across a package that gives you the benefit of mobile + home discounts. I prefer Du over Etisalat as I generally find them cheaper (the phone provided by my work is Etisalat) and they charge by the second. In terms of coverage I don't find any difference between the two phones, but it may depend on the area you live and work in.  

Is data usage common here? What about texting? Coming from USA, I'm used to unlimited data and essentially unlimited minutes/text. I see the plans are like 100 MB, 250 MB, etc with 100, 250, etc texts/minutes. Do you find it easy to reach those tiers? Plans in the USA that are not unlimited are typically 1GB or 2GB per month with like 1500 texts if there is even a limit.  

Texting just isnt done that much here. It will add up quickly. I used to average maybe 2500 to 3000 messages a month easily back home. That just isnt possible here. Plans are a few hundred sms. Get a data plan for your android, bb, or evil fruit phone. Even then, it is easy to go over the data amounts. A lot of people will have a blackberry w the 50dirham social plan that gets you unlimited bbm, yahoo, msn, etc messengers and access to facebook i think (I dont have a facebook so dont know/care about that) included, even if they have an iphone or android. Whats app (if you dont use bbm) will be your new best friend and will replace sms. You will have to get your friends and family to get whats app or get them to use yahoo or msn or something on their phones to talk to you. It is hard to do as the culture in the usa is just to sms.  

I have to disagree to an extent here... the UAE is driven on SMS aka "TEXT MESSAGES"! Your parking fines, banking purchases, speeding tickets, postal notifications, EVERYTHING is driven via SMS (all SMS incoming are free) Do people here use traditional SMS NO... they use BBM or What's App but guess what? THEY ARE TEXT MESSAGES!!! Everyone here texts and they do it all day long all day and everyday. Everyone I know back in the US and Canada has What's App or BBM and I am connected just as much if not more than when I was home. In fact most people here have 2 phones just for these reasons! One for work/voice calls and the other for "text messaging" whether it be SMS, WhatsApp or BBM. DU offers much better international/data packages but the coverage is no where that of Etisalat. If you plan on staying within city limits all the time then DU is the way to go IMO.  

For those of us who aren't living the American dream, we've always paid for our SMS's so really isn't that much of a shock! Before BBM and Whatsapp, everyone used SMS. Blackberry was only made available to the general public, for personal use a couple of years ago. Etisalat seems to be better overall. They were here first and Du is still playing catch up. However, Du does have monopoly over certain areas of the city when it comes to home packages so your home internet/TV/land line will depend on where you live. Cell phone - go with Etisalat.  

Thanks for the tips. Will check out whatsapp as I do not use BB.  

For your friends back in the US get a Google Voice number before you come over, it can do two things: 1. You can forward your US number to Google Voice and it will transcribe and email you the voice mails. 2. Your US friends will have a US number to text you on and you a free way to text them back. (no MMS though). Much better in my opinion than expecting them to get a special app. I got a 1gb data plan when I first got here and didn't go over for the month, but I have WiFi at work and at home that I use when I am there. I am a fairly heavy user for news and stocks and even stream a bit of iHeart radio but no video. Also get a Magic Jack, very nice to have as well for staying in touch.  

I believe DU is expensive when it comes to Triple Packs (TV, landline & Internet) & if your building is covered by either du or etisalat then i guess you cant switch the triple pack to another provider. However if you are looking for a specific cell phone provider only then I agree with what INFAMOUS mentioned - "DU offers much better international/data packages but the coverage is no where that of Etisalat. If you plan on staying within city limits all the time then DU is the way to go IMO."  

I don't even use 40 MB of data a month on my (very good) android smartphone. I use wifi at home and at office, and otherwise don't need to have to "check in" on facebook everywhere I go, so keep the mobile data switched off. When I am out of the office/home, I get my office emails on the BB. For personal emails, I don't get too fussed about having to reply to them all the time, so only check them at home/office. The data usage only becomes important when I am out of Dubai, and then good luck using Du or Etisalat. The data usage bundles do not cover roaming data usage, the charges for which are very high.  

in my experience, du charges are better than etisalat but the signal is not good, especially if you are inside the building.  

XDoodlebugger said: For your friends back in the US get a Google Voice number before you come over, it can do two things: Also get a Magic Jack, very nice to have as well for staying in touch. Click to expand...

Also another question .is there any implementation of 4G in dubai for mobile phones...and who carries it ? And nothing abt the speed of internet compared to lightning fast europe internet ?  

check out the websites of Du (du.ae) and etisalat.ae for the pricing. The speeds are okay (but upload speeds are not). There is no 4G as I understand it, but I may be wrong  

etisalat offers 4g but it's bundled with hardware, only available on postpaid and isn't on the same frequency as sprint/at&t. your ipad 3 will only work with 3g/hspa+ in dubai. very few top end devices currently support 4g anyways. on the du 3g network i was getting around 1mbps upload and download with a decent ping. which is fine for phone use, but not so great for dongle/tethering. of course all of this depends on your location, so do a test with a prepaid sim before you start investing in contracts or hardware.  

back to op: 1. there's not much value from what i can see in bundling mobile with landline-based provider, so don't make it a criterion for selection. 2. coverage varies, but i haven't noticed an overall "better" provider. you'd need to choose a provider primarily based on the location of your most frequent usage. 3. du's prepaid is better than etisalat's in my experience: - du offers more flexible bundles (you get a bonus amount on each recharge and can choose if you want to allocate it to airtime, overseas calls, or data. - price is much of a muchness depending on your needs. - the du self-service portal online is much better than the etisalat one. just register your number and credit card and sms 135 with the amount you want to recharge. none of that last-minute till slip dithering. you can also add secondary sims and recharge those the same way. with etisalat, you need to be a postpaid user to achieve the same, and can't recharge via sms afaik. this was the main reason i ended up going with du.  

I realize that this thread is from a few months ago, but I wanted to thank all the kind posters who were good enough to share specific information and advice - this stuff is soooo helpful to those of us coming along shortly. Again - a hearty "thank you" to all that shared!  

Alert - if you want to change your prepaid Du account to postpaid without changing your phone number - you must have an "Emirates-issued" credit card (not debit), no US-issued cards or Amex permitted. Otherwise they will need salary certificate, certified tenancy agreement, etc. It's been 7 days and they are still waiting for "management approval" for me (stamped salary cert letter and tenancy agreement provided a couple days ago after they rejected the use of a debit card and labour agreement).  

come to think about it,i miss my 35$ unlimited minutes,text and web plan from t mobile.  

On a related subject...in the UK I had a plan which was unlimited....calls, data, texts etc.....is there such a thing here? I am currently on Etisalat and pay the 5dhs a day for unlimited date but after 25MB they reduce the speed to a crawl. Using 25MB takes all of um 10 mins! I have three teenagers so you can imagine I get through a lot of texts too.....I seem to be spending a fortune... I like the idea of swapping to du so I can recharge online..... L  

lxinuk said: I am currently on Etisalat and pay the 5dhs a day for unlimited date but after 25MB they reduce the speed to a crawl. Using 25MB takes all of um 10 mins! I have three teenagers so you can imagine I get through a lot of texts too.....I seem to be spending a fortune... I like the idea of swapping to du so I can recharge online..... L Click to expand...

Sarasota: thank you ill look into it... Sammy Lou : I get through 1 GB in a week....you could say addicted, I say it's work!.....i used to do the 1GB that before the 5Dhs choice came out.......so that would be recharged even more.....plus it runs out in the middle of the day that you are relying on it.... If you are a heavy user the 5Dhs does work it's just very slow after 25 MB....which I try to combat by being on a WIFI whenever I can, it is just annoying after having so much 'freedom' previously !!! It just seems like I recharge all the time (I guess paying for 4 phones will feel like that!) xx Thanks for the advice, really appreciate you taking the time! L  

Blackberry: Du or Etisalat Which would be the best for a Blackberry? I'm thinking of just getting a prepaid plan and just needs "some" social networking & BBM. Also, should I load more credits on top of the Blackberry service charge so I could use it for SMS and local calls?:help:  

Got a new Etisalat sim card for my iPhone 4 - topped it up with 60Dhs credit. Tried to make a viber call which didn't connect. Somehow I ended up with about 15Dhs credit afterwards! Checked again a few hours later and it's now gone up to 23 Dhs. I can't seem to get data to work on this damn thing so hard to figure out where the rest of my credit has vaporised to. Have rebooted phone multiple times, reset settings etc to no avail. Can't browse, check email or use whatsapp. Any ideas? (other than try and get a hold of someone at etisalat tech support....sigh)  

just making sure, have you actually subscribed to a data package? as in, sent the SMS with the proper codes [and proper amount of credit for it] to etisalat? and if so, did you get the confirmation SMS back?  

um yeah.. so I didn't do that so that's why it didn't work. Went back to etisalat today and sorted it all out. I'm from Australia, everything is included when you get credit! I went to South Africa recently and had a similar headache - in what world do people not need data?! it's as if it's being treated as an optional extra! I'm so green it's not even a joke...really need to get my head around things in Dubai quickly!  

I'm just trying to work out the cost for PAYG charges over here. OK, so am I reading this correct on Du's PAYG charges? From lower down on this page - Prepaid Plan | du Calls to all mobiles & national landlines 0.5 fils/sec (so .3 AED a minute, therefore 5p a min (UK price, based on online conversion rates) Video calls to du 1 fils/sec (so .6 AED a min, 10p a min) National SMS 18 fils (converts to 3p in sterling?) International SMS 60 fils (.6AED per text, so 10p per text? Better than 40p it's costing me on my UK phone!) Plus I can then buy an add-on for data ( based on this page ) of 20 AED for 40MB, 50 AED for 100MB or 100 AED for 1GB, etc? And is that a monthly amount or is it until you use it up (ie can you buy a 25GB bundle and it last for ages?) Any idea if Etisalat are better or worse? If I'm correct with the above calculations the PAYG costs don't seem too bad.  

Du has started offering freebies on every recharge - for eg: the last time I recharged for AED 200 (More Data option), I also got 350 local minutes free; on another recharge I got 10 international SMS free! I'm lovin' it! Du's network has grown by leaps and bounds; in Sharjah Immigration area, I manage to get 10.6 mbps speed on my iPhone. It's amazing! Voice quality sometimes sucks though!  

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Du vs Etisalat – Du Wins The Race

Du TV Service Quality Explained

Latest Du Wifi Offers Explained

This blog will explain why Du is the best internet service provider and better than Etisalat.

Finding a good internet connection is always a mess when you are new in UAE. Sometimes, people living in UAE for decades also face these problems. Thus, this blog will highlight reasons Du is better than other telecom companies in UAE.

Telecom Companies in UAE

Though the competition between the telecom companies in UAE is not that much intensive as compared to other nations. However, people still have few options from where they can choose their telecom service provider.

Two of the most dominant telecom companies in UAE are Du and Etisalat. Altogether, these two companies hold the maximum market share of the telecom industry of UAE.

Du vs Etisalat – Coverage and Comparison

Etisalat is the oldest telecom company of UAE. This enables them to serve almost all the areas of the middle east region.

Despite being active and present in most of the areas of the country, Etisalat is unable to provide quality services to their customers.

This gap in the market was filled by Du as they are providing quality service in almost all of their coverage areas. Furthermore, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the United Arab Emirates has announced the performance stats of Du and Etisalat.

The performance metrics show that Du is comprehensively better than Etisalat when comes to outdoor calling. Similarly, Du was also better than Etisalat in terms of their internet speed in local areas.

So I believe now your confusion of choosing between Du or Etisalat for home internet is now solved.

The performance stats depict that Du scored 97.2% in the outdoor voice quality whereas Etisalat was able to score 95.3%.

Du vs Etisalat Summarized

The major comparison in terms of call, data and LTE packages between Du and Etisalat are stated as follows:

All the data mentioned above is released in the latest survey reports of TRA.

Still, if believe Etisalat is better than Du than you must check our offers by visiting our homepage . Similarly, you can do the same for converting your connection from Etisalat to Du.

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Home internet packages in Dubai for all your online needs

• How to Sign Up
• How to Pay the Internet Bill

Whether you need a new internet connection for your home or want to change your package or service provider, Dubai has no shortage of options. Here’s an overview of the different home internet packages in Dubai so you can choose one that best fits your needs and budget.

ALL ABOUT DUBAI INTERNET PLANS FOR HOME USERS

When choosing Dubai internet packages for their homes, residents can check out the plans offered by the two popular providers: Etisalat and Du . 

Etisalat Dubai internet plans range from Al Shamil broadband connection to eLife internet package, which includes landline, TV and internet. Likewise, du internet packages include du Home Starter, du Home Basic Promo and more.

You can easily visit your nearest Etisalat or du service centre to sign up for Dubai Wi-Fi plans. The process can take up to a week, and you need to be a Dubai resident to apply for home internet packages.

For du home internet offers, subscribers must be 21 years or older. Younger customers can present an NOC from someone aged 21 or older who agrees to take responsibility for their internet account. 

SIGNING UP FOR HOME WI-FI PACKAGES IN DUBAI

For Etisalat internet packages, you need to visit a service centre to fill out an application form, or you can download it from the official website.

Go to the ‘Support’ page, navigate to the ‘Personal’ tab and find online application forms for setting up an internet connection at home. 

Likewise, you can visit a service centre for du packages or subscribe directly from the website . You must select your location and package, after which you must complete an online form. 

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

Documents required to subscribe for Etisalat packages and du net packages include:

• Valid UAE residence visa
• Emirates ID

You also need to submit copies of the residency visa and Emirates ID.

In the case of du, you will also need your Ejari tenancy contract or title deed, which includes your name and address. If you are not getting the subscription under your name, you need to get an authorisation letter from the person purchasing the subscription along with their Emirates ID.

Once you submit these documents and pay the installation fees, your home internet connection will be working within seven days. 

HOME INTERNET PRICES IN DUBAI

Internet cost in Dubai differs for every package. Typically, b asic home internet package in Dubai cost would depend on the speed offered. You can get broadband connections or a combination of internet and TV services.

Prices of home internet packages can also help you calculate the cost of living in Dubai .

Etisalat home internet packages are as follows:

Please note that:

• You can find many packages with Amazon Prime, Smiles, OSN Channel and more.
• Sports fans can opt for BeIN packages.
• Those looking to reduce their expenses can choose a plan with internet and free-to-air channels.

Note that these monthly charges are exclusive of a 5% VAT. Some packages offer free installation. You can also sign up for Etisalat prepaid data packages .

du home internet packages are priced as follows:

Customers also get a Wi-Fi router, hundreds of TV channels and free calls to UAE landlines with du packages. 

Like Etisalat packages, the du home internet prices are also exclusive of VAT , fees and other charges. These include AED 50 activation charges and AED 150 TV box deposit. The latter is refundable.  Du also offers free installation on different packages.

HOW TO PAY YOUR INTERNET BILL IN DUBAI

Managing your service and your internet subscription payments is easy. Here’s how you can pay your bill.

• Etisalat users can visit the official website and register online to check and pay their bills via credit or debit card.
• Du users can also visit the website to create an account or download the du app.
• You can also download the My Etisalat app for hassle-free Etisalat bill payment.
• Alternatively, you can use your bank account to pay the bill. If you don’t have one, learn how to open a bank account in Dubai .

FAQS ABOUT HOME INTERNET PLANS IN DUBAI

How to move your internet connection to a new home.

If you are moving to a new place, you can transfer your existing internet connection to the new location.

Etisalat internet package users have to provide the following details via their app or on the helpline when applying to move their eLife connection:

• Address of the new home
• Date of disconnection from the current home
• Date when technicians can install the devices at your new place.

Once you complete your application and provide the necessary details, Etisalat will close your existing connection and set up an appointment to install the eLife connection in the new home. You will, however, have to pay moving charges amounting to AED 150. Additional charges may apply if extra wiring is required. Here’s a quick guide on transferring Etisalat’s internet connection in Dubai .

du has also made it quite simple for you to move your connection. You must log in to the website and upload your new tenancy contract/title deed. If the contract is not in your name, you must show proof of the relationship. Note that your next bill will include a moving fee of AED 100.

HOW TO CANCEL YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION IN DUBAI ?

You may want to cancel your internet or downgrade your package. In either case, you can call or visit your internet provider’s service centre to cancel and pay the exit charges.

You need to provide a one-month notice for cancellation. Depending on your contract, you may have to pay an early cancellation fee . Similarly, a downgrade fee may apply if you want to downgrade your package .

This concludes our overview of home internet packages in Dubai. Setting up an internet and TV connection in your home is easy, provided you have the necessary documents. Remember, you can use video call in Dubai to connect with family and friends back home.

Are you moving homes? Here’s how to transfer your internet connection in Dubai .

Ensure you know how to renew your Emirates ID before signing up for an internet package. Also, check your UAE visa status online to avoid any inconvenience.

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Nice post you are doing a great job in this content above, every discussed in detail. Thank you so much to write a post like this. I.m an internet user this post is very informative for me. Again thanks for this.

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Du Internet Speed vs Etisalat Internet Speed – Which is Better?

Is DU Internet speed faster than Etisalat in the UAE? Etisalat and Du are the largest and most used telecom networks in the United Arab Emirates. But if these two are compared with each other, do you know which network will provide the fastest internet speed? Here we will tell you which network provides the fastest speed in UAE by checking their internet speed only.

Comparison of Du and Etisalat Internet Speed

Internet speed is checked based on various things including downloading speed and uploading speed as well as video and gaming speed. Etisalat has earned and established its name the most in the United Arab Emirates. At present it is considered to be the largest telecom network here. At the same time, Du is no less. It started introducing cheaper packages to the customers after which the competition between the two increased.

Download Speed:

The two networks keep going back and forth with each other for one reason or another. According to a report by OpenSignal, Etisalat is currently the fastest internet speed provider network in the UAE. According to the 2023 report, Etisalat’s download speed was noted at 46.4 Mbps — 12 Mbps while Du’s speed was 34.4 Mbps.

Uploading Speed:

If we talk about their upload speed, Etisalat recorded a speed of 11 Mbps while Du recorded a speed of 9.0 Mbps. Similarly, Etisalat has gone two steps ahead of Du in terms of downloading speed as well.

If we compare the internet speed of both networks with the speed of the previous one, then both of them have decreased significantly. When they were compared in 2022, Du’s internet downloading speed was 27.5 Mbps while Etisalat’s speed was 40.1 Mbps. Du has seen a significant improvement in its internet speed this year compared to last year. The internet downloading speed of Etisalat has decreased considerably this year compared to last year.

In 2022, DU’s Download speed was 313 Mbps while Etisalat was providing 288 Mbps. According to the 2023 report, DU is 8 times less than Etisalat. According to Opensignal’s 2023 report , in 2023 DU is providing 282 Mbps while Etisalat is providing a Downloading speed of 332 Mbps.

The uploading speed of both the networks has been better than last year, with Etisalat’s 10.3 Mbps to 11.0 Mbps while Du’s speed has come down to 7.6 Mbps to 9.0 Mbps. If we talk about their 5G uploading speed then in 2022 DU was providing much faster speed than Etisalat.

Etisalat is offering good speed compared to Du but if we compare it to last year then DU has done better. If it keeps tweaking its speed and coverage like this, DU might start offering better speeds from Etisalat as well. Du is also mostly used by people because of its cheap packages, but in areas where its coverage and signals are good, it offers faster downloading speeds than 5G connections.

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