Beeline roaming in the UAE: what are the tariffs and options for profitable calls to Russia? UAE Forum: Useful tourist notes in the UAE What is the telephone connection in the UAE

The roaming service allows you to stay connected without changing the operator abroad. Our article on Tele2 international roaming rates in the UAE will help you find out about the cost of calls, SMS and Internet traffic. We will provide a list of the best services that allow you to save money.

Roaming Tele2 in the UAE 2018

Roaming services in the UAE are available to all Tele2 subscribers, they do not require additional connection. The phone will automatically register to the new network when switched on. If the smartphone has not registered automatically, select the network manually.

In the UAE, services are provided by the operator du. Network designation on the phone display: du; UAE03; 42403.

How to correctly dial a subscriber's number in roaming:

+ (country code) (subscriber number);
example for Russia - + 7 (subscriber number).

Good to know! Free the number of the information service during the trip is +7 951 520-06-11.

Cost of Tele2 calls in the UAE

Billing incoming and outgoing calls without discount (price per minute):

all incoming calls - 35.00 rubles;
outgoing calls to all telephones in Russia - 35.00 rubles;
outgoing calls to the numbers of the host country - 35.00 rubles;
outgoing to numbers of the CIS and Europe - 35.00 rubles;
outgoing to numbers of countries in Africa, Asia, Australia - 35.00 rubles;
outgoing to numbers of countries of South and North America - 65.00 rubles;

Important! Calls are charged from the 1st second of the conversation.

SMS billing and MMS messages no discount (price per message):

incoming - RUB 0.00;
outgoing SMS - 12.00 rubles;
outgoing MMS - RUB 12.00;

The cost of Internet traffic in roaming (price per MB):

1 MB of Internet traffic - RUB 50.00;

We remind you! Check balance in roaming * 105 #.

Advice! We recommend that you turn off call forwarding before traveling. command ## 002 #, since the use of call forwarding will result in payment of forwarded calls at roaming rates. You can top up your account in roaming at personal account or on the Tele2 website.

Roaming services that allow you to save

In the UAE, two services from tele2 are available, with which it is possible to save:

Unlimited Internet abroad;
Conversations without borders;

Unlimited internet abroad

Activation of the “Unlimited Internet Abroad” tariff is free of charge and is available on all tariff plans of tele 2. The cost of the service is 350 rubles. per day. We receive the following traffic - at a high speed of 200 MB, at a speed of no more than 128 kbps (unlimited).

Service control commands:

Connect * 143 * 71 #
Disable * 143 * 70 #
Check the amount of the discount * 143 * 7 #

Let's not forget! Funds are debited when using the Internet. If during the day, there is no actual Internet access, then the money will not be debited. The period from 00:00:00 to 24:00:00 of a calendar day Moscow time is taken as a day.

Some Russians are well aware of the United Arab Emirates - a country of expensive cars, severe religious bans, oil sheikhs, and, of course, the largest city in the desert - Dubai.

Naturally, every Russian tourist is familiar with the local Internet, but still not to the same extent as a person living and working in the Emirates directly. The story of one of our readers, who has been living and working in the UAE for almost a year, about how the Internet works in this country, we will present to the public.

The telecommunications services market in the Emirates is neatly divided between two large players, although Etisalat had a monopoly in this area a little earlier. Now this oldest operator in the Emirates owns almost the entire cable infrastructure of the country. Also, Etisalat provides some of its services through its subsidiary Swyp (Wi-Fi hotspot and Mobile Internet).

The younger company Du is the second largest operator in the country in terms of capabilities and subscriber base, which owns own network base stations mobile communications... This difference in infrastructure ownership virtually eliminates the need for both companies to compete with each other. In addition, the market between them is divided geographically and both companies are largely state-owned.

There are also several smaller operators on the market, but their presence is negligible. Of the big names, perhaps Virgin Mobile can be distinguished.

Wired Internet

Home wired Internet in the country is combined with IPTV and home telephony. When connected, the provider provides a Wi-Fi router with its own "brand", a TV-Box and a regular phone with a cordless handset. It is noteworthy that even if you choose a tariff plan with a minimum or no additional services, you still won't be able to save a lot.

Etilasat tariffs

Du tariffs

High prices for low speeds is the main feature home internet in the UAE. So, a basic package of services with a connection speed of 20 Mbps costs 360 AED per month (100 USD), for an additional 100 AED per month you can take a "speed booster", which increases the connection speed, for example, from 20 to 50 Mbps. ... The outgoing speed on most tariffs is 20-25% of the download speed. It is important to know that the rate of the dirham to the US dollar: 3.66 AED = 1 USD.

The connection agreement is concluded for at least two years, and if the subscriber decided to terminate the agreement earlier, he will have to pay a forfeit. But it is possible to transfer the connection to new address in case of moving.

cellular

Guest rates are available for those who come to visit the country. Their cost for a relatively small data package is about AED 55 per week.

Often, it is more profitable for guests of the Emirates to use roaming than offers from local operators.

For those who plan to stay in the country for a long time, there are a lot of different options from 50 AED to 1000 AED per month. Package data volume from 500 MB to 100 GB per month. In addition, the tariff package may include minutes for calls within the country, minutes for international calls, "flexible minutes" (for calls within the country and international calls to a wide range of countries) and access time to Wi-Fi points in public places. Unlimited mobile Internet does not exist here yet.

In general, for the comfortable use of your smartphone with several gigabytes of Internet per month, you will have to pay about 150 AED (40 USD). A separate connection fee is charged - about 50 AED.

Operator base station Du in the form of a palm tree

To buy a SIM card, you need documents proving your identity. By the way, in the UAE, the law obliges operators to keep your number with you when you change the communication service provider, if you want to exercise this right.

There are two types of tariff plans: the so-called Prepaid plans, that is, prepaid tariff plans, and contract tariff plans, which, as mentioned above, are concluded for at least two years.

This is what Prepaid plans look like " big three"in the UAE:

Etisalat

Virgin mobile

The western guest, Virgin Mobile, is presented here only with prepaid plans. To connect, you need to install the application, select a number and a tariff plan, and a courier will bring you a SIM card in a few hours.

Contract tariff plans look a little different and are provided by only two operators. Virgin Mobile doesn't have this option.

Etisalat

Blocking

In general, a number of resources in the UAE are blocked at the request of the authorities, but often the reason for the inaccessibility of a site is the initiative of the operator itself. The law here prohibits sites of unwanted political organizations and sites with pornography. There are a number of other unwanted sites that are, as it were, partially restricted. For example, VKontatka seems to be available, but internal videos from the social network are blocked. Most likely, here, as with a number of other prohibitions, religion is directly tied.

This is what censorship looks like here

Banned audio and video calls over the Internet using applications. The fact is that the provision of telecom services in the UAE is licensed, calls over the Internet are equated to such services, and, therefore, almost all calls through instant messengers are prohibited. Everything is available in chat mode. At the same time, it is reliably known that in some hotels it is allowed to make calls via Skype. Why the indulgence is left for this messenger is unknown.

The authorities explain the need for blocking by protecting children and ensuring national security. However, as elsewhere, where such locks take place. Means of bypassing blocking like VPN are not prohibited here either, but their use by citizens of the country is prohibited.

For Internet calls, special applications BOTIM and C'Me have been developed. Formally, they are free, but after the launch, they offer to pay 50 AED for the opportunity to call through them.

In the UAE, copyright is not particularly protected, so torrents are not banned here, however, some subscribers claim that in certain time days they are seeing a problem with the availability of torrents. It is probably not worth blaming this on the initiative of providers, but the fact is the fact.

Some time ago, the Instagram website was blocked, and many statesmen have accounts on it. In this case, the application was available. This case also remained on the conscience of two Arab telecom giants.

Despite some inconveniences and unusual limitations, the quality of services can be called high. UAE operators spare no money for the construction of high-quality infrastructure of their networks. For example, GPON is very common. For the most part, everything is laid out with high quality, and Ethernet sockets peep out of the walls. Decent quality of the cellular signal, which is available even in the multi-level underground parking of a residential building.

Communication hall of a residential building, view from the street

In general, if you look at the Internet in the UAE through the eyes of an ordinary subscriber, then everything looks more or less decent. However, those who build infrastructure for the corporate sector here have a hard time. So, symmetric channels in the Emirates are absent as a class, there are no static IP (or rather, you need to be in their service area). The cost of connecting a direct optical line is 80k USD, plus the monthly service fee for the 80/80 Mbit / s channel is 15k USD.

In technical support, mostly Indians work with a minimum of English. It is almost impossible to solve any issues with such technical support, and when you add extra money to your account, to your reasonable indignation, you will receive the answer "I don't like it, don't use it." This approach is due to the fact that the country has a monopoly on communication services.

At the same time, optical breaks are eliminated within a few days, which is considered cosmic speed for the Emirates. In general, if you look at the Internet in the UAE from the corporate sector, then we are not talking about any speed, comfort and reliability.

In November 2017, the Russian operator Tele2 launched an option called “Unlimited Internet in the UAE”. The connection was not limited in terms of time, speed, or traffic volume. The price was only 100 rubles per day.

There was an anecdotal situation when for Tele2 subscribers in roaming, the Internet was even cheaper than for residents of the UAE in home network... For comparison, Etisalat's unlimited mobile internet costs AED 10 per day.

Now this service from Tele2 is closed for connection - it no longer exists, which is a pity.

Attention! Messenger calls don't work

The UAE has strict telecommunications laws. VoIP (voice over digital communication networks) services are only allowed to be provided by two operators - Etisalat and DU. Other options are prohibited by law.

Get ready for the fact that Skype, Viber, WhatsUp calls will not work. Voice traffic is blocked by operators. Although intermittent messenger calls work, the blocking system (FireWall) does not work flawlessly.

Some users put programs on their phones to create a VPN. If explain in simple words, these programs organize a “tunnel” to a special server in Russia. The phone appears to be on the Internet in Russia, and messengers work. In theory, in the UAE, such a trick is illegal - the "Cybercrime Law" of 2016.

Important! What is DATA SOCIAL

When buying Internet packages from Etisalat and DU, there are phrases “250 Mb + 250 Mb DATA SOCIAL” or “3 Gb + 2 Gb DATA SOCIAL”.

DATA SOCIAL is traffic that can only be used for social networks. Moreover, only foreign social networks are charged - Facebook, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIN. That is, Russian VKontakte and Odnoklassniki are not included in this list, traffic when using them is classified as general.

Important! Censorship

The UAE has an Internet censorship system. In some ways, it resembles the famous Great Chinese Firewall, but it works a little differently. There are only two telecom operators in the UAE, any blocking is easily done on their equipment. In Russia, such a censorship system is even theoretically impossible, since we have hundreds of providers.

In the UAE, the following may be blocked:

Any websites in the .il (Israel) domain or Hebrew language pages;

Resources that threaten the competition of the VoIP monopoly;

Not in line with the cultural, moral and political values of the UAE.

Almost any website can be banned. For example, if the site has the service “Call us through the site”. Or the site contains images of a woman with a deep neckline. The criteria are so vague that you can find fault with any site and get banned.

Etisalat offers

Officially, tourists cannot take advantage of the full range of Etisalat fares. That is, if you come directly to one of the Etisalat offices, then only a SIM card with a tourist tariff will be sold there. You can find a SIM card with a regular rate at resellers, who can always be found in shopping centers.

You have to pay for a SIM card in the UAE. At the time of this writing, the Etisalat SIM card costs AED 55 (+ 5% VAT). Moreover, after the purchase you need to wait for its activation, the procedure lasts within 1 hour. Russian tourists are often shocked by all this.

It is convenient to replenish the balance with payment cards, which can be bought at any store. Having bought a payment card, follow the instructions on the card. Check balance - * 121 #.

Most tourists cannot live without the Internet and a day, they need it like air. Often people just want to share their emotions and joy with loved ones, relatives and colleagues, send them colorful pictures and videos. Using the Internet, it is convenient to order a taxi, find out the way on the map, book tickets for an event or find out all the information about attractions.

This article will focus on the Internet environment in the United Arab Emirates. What is better to use - SIM cards of local operators or stay with Russian telecom operators while in roaming? Consider the features of the Internet and its prices in a country located on the Arabian Peninsula, what are the restrictions. If you are interested in quickly learning about tariffs and prices, then you can immediately read the chapter "Summing up". Consider all the best offers.

Mobile communications in the Emirates

There are two competing telecom operators in the United Arab Emirates - Du and Etisalat. The format of SIM cards in the Emirates is no different from Russian ones. The companies are partly located in the United Arab Emirates. They use GSM 900/1800 in their work.

It is believed that Etisalat mainly concentrates on residents of the country, many of its subscribers are served on post-paid contracts.

Du is more suitable for tourists and short-term visitors. In terms of prices, both companies offer almost the same tariffs. The activities of the companies are controlled by the UAE telecommunications. In the UAE, the Internet is very expensive; in terms of affordability, it is ranked 186th in the world, while Russia is on the third line of the rating. The first two places are occupied by Iran and Ukraine.

Let's compare Russia and the UAE in terms of the cost of the "Internet" service

Take, for example, the telecom operator MTS and its Smart tariff... For 2018 for 500 rubles. the user is given 5 GB of mobile Internet traffic. As for the Emirates, for $ 10, they provide only 0.5 GB of traffic. We draw a conclusion - in the UAE, the cost of the Internet is about 10 times more expensive.

This tariff no longer exists!

November 2017 will be remembered for the fact that Tele-2 launched an option with Unlimited Internet in the UAE. There were no speed limits, traffic, as well as the time of using the Internet were not limited. The funny thing is that this option cost only 100 rubles. per day. Residents of the UAE even complained that they pay as much as 10 dirhams per day for their Internet from the Etisalat operator.

It is a pity that such an option from Tele-2 is no longer in the UAE.

Calls through the messenger do not go through

The UAE has strict laws, and this also applies to telecommunications. Voice over digital networks can only be transmitted by operators represented by the Emirates. The rest of the cellular operators do not use VoIP services. So be prepared that you will not be able to reach through Skype, WhatsUp or Viber.

However, the blocking system sometimes malfunctions, yet the work of the Firewall is not perfect. Some users try to trick the system by installing VPN programs, thus creating a tunnel to the Russian server. In this case, the restrictions can be circumvented, only this is already considered a cybercrime.

Using DATA SOCIAL

So DATA SOCIAL is traffic intended for use in social networks, and Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte do not apply to them.

Internet censorship

In the Emirates, there is a system that does not allow censorship to the Internet environment, similar to a firewall from China, but the scheme of work is different. Since there are only 2 telecom operators in the Emirates, blocking is easy to do on their equipment. There are more than a dozen providers in the Russian Federation; even from a theoretical point of view, such a system is not considered against censorship.

The UAE can block:

Internet resources using the .il domain or a page using Hebrew;
resources that, in one way or another, pose a threat to the VoIP monopoly;
sites that do not comply with moral standards threaten the culture and values of the UAE;
often the Emirates do not stand on ceremony when "banning" some sites. It is worth seeing on it a neckline or the inscription "Call us"

Etisalat - best deals

From an official point of view, tourists do not have the authority to use the entire range of tariffs from the Etisalat operator. Often, tourists are ready to issue only the tariff of the tourist plan.

You can get around the limitation by looking for resellers in retail outlets... A SIM card in the Emirates from Etisalat costs 55 dirhams. An unpleasant surprise for a tourist is a rather long activation of the SIM card, about an hour. To top up the card balance, you can buy special payment cards. To check the balance, you need to use the combination * 121 #.

Visitor Line rates

The difference between regular and tourist rates is hard to tell. However, tourists are offered pleasant bonuses. For example:

“Buy one, get one free” bonuses;
Free taxi ride;
No restrictions on access to UAE Wifi by Etisalat

UAE Wifi by Etisalat works almost everywhere, which means that mobile Internet may not be needed at all. What does the AED 100 Visitor Line travel rate offer?

55 dirhams at stake

1 gigabyte of traffic

60 SMS messages + 60 minutes to local numbers

700 Mb traffic + 40 SMS + 40 min to local numbers

Resident rates

Traffic for residents costs almost as much as for tourists. A 30-day plan will cost AED 100 for 1 GB (+1 GB SOCIAL), AED 150 for 3 GB (+2 SOCIAL). More interesting is the option where the traffic volume is not taken into account, there is only a limitation on the connection speed. NON-STOP BRONZE cost is 5 dirhams per day, speed limit is 400 kb / s. For 10 dirhams a day you can get NON-STOP GOLD, no speed limits. Exactly this Best offer on high-speed Internet, ask resellers for such a rate.

DU offers

Tourist Plan Package

Non-residents have the opportunity to buy only Current Package services. Let's take a look at what's included in the AED 55 7 Day Tourist Plan:

200 Mb of mobile internet;
20 minutes + 20 SMS to local numbers

Hot features:

Renewal of the Tourist Plan package. Dial * 135 # and select option 2 (prerequisite: 5 AED on the account);
Check your balance. Dial * 135 # or call 135 and press 1;
Subscribe to the "Internet" service package using a payment card or "recharge card"

Important! If you run out of Internet, then you can buy a card and top up your traffic, and for tourists the same tariffs apply as for residents:

450 Mb (+450 Mb SOCIAL) - 50 AED;
1 Gb (+1 Gb SOCIAL) - 100 AED;
3 Gb (+2 Gb SOCIAL) - 150 AED;
5 Gb (+3 Gb SOCIAL) - 200 AED;
10 Gb (+5 Gb SOCIAL) - 300 AED;
25 Gb (+15 Gb SOCIAL) - 500 AED

DU operator bonuses

When buying a SIM card from DU, you are provided with discount promo codes:

1. 20% discount on 4 UBER taxi rides. Install the UBER app and enter the promo code;

2. 30% and 50% discounts on car rentals on the Dollar Rent A Car website. Install the application and enter the promo code;

3. Discounts and bonuses for entertainment from the ENTERTAINER go system. Entertainment discounts are constantly changing

Internet in roaming with Russian operators

MTS when in roaming

There is a tariff option "Bit abroad", a day of using the Internet will cost 450, 700 or 1600 rubles. You will be given 100 or 200 MB. traffic, if they are wasted, the Internet speed will be limited to 128 kb / s. There is also an option called "Zabugorische", its price is 290 rubles. per day.

Beeline roaming

Unlimited Internet from Beeline will cost you 350 rubles. in a day.

Megaphone roaming

"World-online" will cost you 600 rubles. in a day.

Tele-2 roaming

Unlimited from tele-2 will cost 350 rubles. per day. This is a very bad option when compared to the same Etisalat.

Summing up

If you want to make calls using Skype or WhatsUP, then a pleasant surprise awaits you - calls through these messengers will be blocked;
If you do not need to use the Internet frequently, you can go to Du's office and apply for a SIM card with the Tourist Plan tariff plan for 55 AED;
If you just need a large amount of Internet, you can use roaming tariffs from Russian operators, for example, "BIT Abroad" for 450 rubles. per day or Zabugorishche for 290 rubles. per day from MTS. From Beeline you can use "Unlimited Internet" for 350 rubles. per day, on Tele-2 for 350 rubles. per day, for Megafon - "World Online" - 600 rubles. in a day;
For unlimited Internet use, you need a SIM card from Etisalat with a NON-STOP connection, it will cost you 3.5 or 10 dirhams per day

Important information:

You can buy a SIM card only with your passport;
A SIM card costs 100 AED, the exchange rate against the US dollar is 3.65 AED;
Points of sale are located in all shopping centers. Better to take etisalat with less glitches than with du;
If you only need internet, then consider the SURF tariff;
After 6 months you will need to activate your SIM card for 50 AED;
Tourist SIM cards are valid for only 3 months, after which you will have the opportunity to receive calls and SMS for another 30 days, and after this time the number is blocked.

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The international code for the United Arab Emirates is 971.

Emirates and city codes

02 - Abu Dhabi, Mussafa
03 - Al Ain
04 - Dubai
06 - Sharjah, Ajman, Um al-Quwain
07 - Ras Al Khaimah
070 - Korfakkan
085 - Hatta
09 - Fujairah, Dibba.

To call the historical homeland using an automatic line (from the hotel), we dial 007 + city code + subscriber's phone number. A minute of negotiations with Russia will cost about $ 7. If you call from a street phone booth, then this pleasure will be 4-5 times cheaper.

In order for relatives from Russia to find a tourist in the UAE, they need to dial 8 + 10 + 971 + emirate code + subscriber number.

Unlike Russia, in the UAE all types of telephone communication are paid. The cheapest way to communicate is using a pay phone. More expensive, of course, from the hotel.

There are two types of telephone cards in Dubai (in denominations of 30, 60, 120 dirhams):

Normal card- a telephone card that can only be used in public telephones that have an appropriate slot for reading information.

Prepaid card- is used for calls from any phone, including from the hotel, at the minimum rate.

These cards can be purchased in shops and petrol stations.

Useful phone numbers

999 or 998 - ambulance, police, fire brigade
180 - help desk
140 - talking clock, exact time

Mobile connection

Cellular communication - 050 (when calling from CIS countries to cell number Dubai 8-10-971-50 + subscriber number).

When calling from abroad, the first zero in the 050 code is not dialed.

In the UAE services cellular are provided by two operators - Etisalat (billing per minute) and Du (with per second billing).

It is difficult to imagine a modern tourist without mobile phone... The majority of travelers use their own SIM cards, communicating in roaming and overpaying for communication. If you want to save a little (by at least, for the same money to talk more time), then it is best to purchase a local SIM card cellular operator UAE Etisalat (Tariff plan - "Al Wasel"). In order to buy it, you must have a passport or a copy of it. The cost of such a SIM card is 165 dirham (the cost of outgoing calls is included here), it is valid for one year. Of course, all incoming calls are free.

Operator Du offers a SIM card for 55 dirhams, of which 35 dirhams are on the account.

If you have any problems, you can use the services of a telephone operator (tel. 100) or mobile phone service operators (tel. 101). Support agents speak two languages: English and Arabic.

Internet

Advanced tourists, for the most part, bring laptops, tablets with them on vacation, or, at worst, just have smartphones. Naturally, Internet access is in great demand. Many hotels provide Wi-Fi service, some for a fee, others for free (check with your hotel). But, if the territory of the hotel is small and there is a desire to dive into the abyss of the world wide web in a shopping center, restaurant or even a metro, then it is better to use the prepaid service for this service by purchasing a special card. In the emirates, only the time spent on the network is paid through the phone with which the connection was made. Traffic cost: 15 fils per minute (that's AED 9 per hour).

In the UAE, there is strict control over the Internet content used: pornography, politically unsafe materials, and demoralizing content are carefully filtered. So, the site dearly beloved by Russians social network Vkontakte (vk.com) is blocked in the UAE for moral reasons. You cannot download the Skype program either, but you can use the one installed on the laptop earlier.