Dubai: du launched two promotions for fixed and mobile customers yesterday in another campaign to woo customers from etisalat - in one case promising savings of up to 44 per cent for international calls.
The new UAE telecom is offering a rebate for international calls called 'Freetime', which offers a 1 fils credit for every second of international call time - or Dh1 for every minute and 40 seconds. The six-week promotion ends September 10.
For its new 'Call Select' fixed line service, where pre-registered etisalat customers dial a prefix to be charged through du, CEO Osman Sultan said it would charge all international calls at off-peak rates.
In both cases, du is targeting price cuts to entice etisalat customers to switch, but is doing so via indirect means.
While both promotions offer financial savings, du has managed to keep its price per minute charges intact, which remain level with etisalat's under the supervision of the government regulator.
For its Freetime promotion, du is offering it to pre and post-paid customers during peak and off-peak times.
Under the plan, calls made to Kuwait will be 28 per cent cheaper during peak times and 44 per cent lower during off-peak, for example.
Sultan said competition in the telecom sector was already showing benefits to customers as both telecom companies began offering incentives.
Days after du announced its fixed line service, which is also charged under its per-second pricing scheme, etisalat responded by extending its 'Favourite Country Plan' to its fixed line subscribers.
Under the promotion, etisalat customers would be able to enjoy discounts of 30 per cent on calls made to one international destination.
Sultan promised more incentives to come. "We will play the game, and we are absolutely ready," he said during a press conference announcing the promotion schemes.
"We expect to gain a fair part of the fixed line market, and this will ramp up gradually."
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