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Etisalat mobile broadband coverage Dubai  

Tuesday 21 May 2013 (UAE)   
 
   
      
 

Etisalat mobile broadband coverage Dubai UAE

Development page, do not link or use yet.

Etisalat mobile broadband coverage, access speed, download bandwidth for internet wireless access in Dubai and UAE in coffee shops and cafes.

  • Good (HSDPA), fast browsing, download, upload, etc. A proper broadband connection.
  • Weak or poor (EDGE or WCMDA) - connection available but slow enough to be almost useless. Go somewher else or be prepared to wait a long time for pages to load with frequent non-loading errors. A home dial-up connection is better. WCMDA seems to be slightly better than EDGE.

Sometimes moving laptop computer slightly can improve the connection, or changing the USB port that your USB broadband stick is plugged into. Even disconnect and reconnect can help occasionally, especially with a flaky connection that drops from HSPDA to WCMDA while connected for example.

Etisalat data roaming packages

Generally, using your phone while roaming for data connections is horrendously expensive (applies to any operator, not just Etisalat). And watch out when connecting your phone as a modem to your laptop - automatic downloads and software updates can easily suck up enough bandwidth that you might have to mortgage your house on return from your holiday to pay the bill. This is not a joke - there are stories of people winding up with bills of tens of thousands of dollars, pounds, dirhams, etc. Allow AED 100-1,000 per hour for general website surfing, or about AED 50-200 for every 10 pages you view in your browser (of normal content - news, wikipedia, email, etc). Seriously. Search for "bill shock" on Google to get some stories (not while you're roaming though).

To get around this, buy a local SIM card in the country you are visiting. You should be able to put it in your phone if it is unlocked and connect it to your computer if the phone has a modem built in but it might be tricky to get the configuration set up. Phone shop attendants will tell you all sorts of things depending on how much they know. Sometimes they will be right, sometimes wrong.

Or you can buy a USB stick with local SIM card in the country you are visiting. Sometimes there are restrictions such as for data use only, not for telephone calls. Generally the USB sticks (especially if they are part of a special offer or package) are locked to the SIM card they come with. It is possible to unlock them - usually by paying a substantial fee to the operator. Backstreet phone vendors might be able to unlock them, or destroy them accidentally.

Etisalat data roaming in Saudi Arabia and Egypt March-May 2012
  • 01 March 2012 - A press release from Etisalat said "UAE mobile data packages can be used when roaming in KSA and Egypt at no extra charge". Subscribers will need to connect to Mobily-KSA (in KSA) or Etisalat-Misr (in Egypt) networks. This promotion is only valid from March to end of May 2012.
International data roaming packages from Etisalat (20 July 2011 press release)
  • Available to Wasel prepaid and postpaid Etisalat customers, including BlackBerry.
  • Purchase from the UAE or abroad by dialing *177#, or send SMS with purchase code to '1010'. View list of SMS purchase codes by texting 'ROAME' for English or 'ROAMA' for Arabic to '1010'.
  • Or purchase direct from an Etisalat Business Center or by calling 800-2300 (in the UAE).
  • Data packs from 100MB to 3GB in 14 countries.
  • Daily data packs of 6MB available in most other countries (press release said 520 countries across the globe but there aren't that many countries in the world - they might have meant telecom operators).
  • Data packs include SMS mobile alerts for pre-defined thresholds or when limit has been reached, along with an option to purchase another data pack.
  • To enquire about data roaming usage, dial *177#, or send text SMS 'GR' for Global Pack, 'PR' for Preferred Pack, or 'AR' for Alliance Partner to '1010'.
  Daily Weekly Monthly Countries - Operators
Cost AED 95 AED 395 AED 495  
Etisalat Alliance Partners 1GB 2GB 3GB Saudi Arabia (Mobily)
Preferred Partners 100MB 200MB - Bahrain (Batelco), Egypt (Etisalat Misr), Germany (T-Mobile), India (Vodafone), Italy (Vodafone Omnitel), Jordan (Umniah), Kuwait (Zain), Malaysia (Maxis), Oman (Omantel), Saudi Arabia (Mobily), Thailand (AIS, DTAC, Total Access Communications), Turkey (Turkcell), United Kingdom (O2 - Cellnet), United States (Cingular Wireless, T Mobile - VWC Denver)
Global 6MB - - All (excluding Lebanon, satellite and flight operators)
Global flat rate       AED 1 postpaid (subscription accounts), AED 1.50 prepaid (Al Wasel) per 30 KB. Works out to about AED 33-50 per MB, or AED 33,000-50,000 per GB. Watch out!

Dubai locations

  • Dubai Healthcare City - Caribou Coffee, Starbucks - good (HSDPA)
  • Dubai Internet City - Bean & Byte Coffee Shop - weak (Edge only)
  • Dubai Internet City - food court - weak (Edge only)
  • Dubai Marina Mall - Cafe Nero - good
  • Mall of the Emirates - Westend (Evory, Apres) - weak (Edge only)
  • The Dubai Mall - Caribou Coffee - good
  • Souk Al Bahar - Caribou Coffee, Starbucks - good
  • Wafi City - Pyramids Carter's - good
  • Wafi City - Caribou Coffee - good

Sharjah locations

Last update Thursday 01-Mar-2012. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.
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