Dubai: Du is encouraging the pay as you go user segment by lowering the cost of calls to the UAE's top international calling destinations in Asia.
According to du, select destinations in Asia are available for around 2 fils per second. They include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
"Everyone values conversation time with their loved ones abroad, and with our lower Pay as you Go international calling rates, families can talk for even longer than ever before," said Fareed Faraidooni, du's Chief Commercial Officer.
With the new pay as you go rates, calls to India will cost 1.25 fils per second, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Philippines will cost 1.5 fils per second and Nepal 2 fils.
"Decreasing the prices to these countries will increase the demand. As a businessman my main operation is running from Pakistan. Because of the high rates, instead of calling from Dubai I ask them to call from Pakistan," said Muhammad Asif Jabbar, group CEO of Alif Investments.
"There is also a lot of competition from internet phones which are offering low international call rates," he added.
A survey by a Federal National Council (FNC) committee published in 2010 says UAE tariffs for international calls from homes and broadband internet are one of the highest in the region.
They are 41.9 per cent higher than Saudi Arabia's, 11 per cent higher than Qatar's, and three per cent more than Bahrain's.
In its most recent results, du reported a 28 per cent increase in third-quarter revenues and a net profit increase of 50 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2010.
Othman Sultan, chief executive officer, cited it as "the best revenue in a quarter in the history of the company" and attributed the growth mainly to mobile phone revenues.
