When you visit a city, the first thing you think about is informing your loved ones that you are at your destination, and this cannot be done without the sim card. If your mobile phone is not properly set up, then you won’t be able to contact your friends and family. We are living in an age where the mobile phone is a necessity for all of us, using the internet, contacting people, and even for booking rides and hotels. In Dubai, thousands of people visit on a daily basis to visit the city or to seek opportunity in the city. There are multiple properties for sale in Dubai that might attract you, like recently the Port De La Mer apartments for sale in Dubai, who will not want to grab such an opportunity. From contacting the real estate dealer to booking the ride you need a smartphone with a sim card in your hand.
You can, of course, continue to use your cell phone in roaming mode when you step off the plane for the beginning of your new life in Dubai, paying the mentioned fees to your provider in your home country, but we all know that will be a very costly choice.
SERVICE PROVIDERS
It’s not like the fictionalized story of Henry Ford’s wonderful Model T-the one you could have in any colour you liked as long as it was black-but you’re limited to only two UAE suppliers, and both are tightly under the control of the TRA – Telecommunication Regulations Authority.
As always, there is a measure of true competitiveness between the two, and you can well find that one fits your needs better than the other by researching what each offers carefully. Start with the websites concerned: Etisalat and Du.
HOW TO GET THE SIM
As soon as you pass through the final customs check and out in the Arrivals area, you can find both Etisalat and Du sales stalls right at the International Airport of Dubai.
An all-in-one pack called Visitor Line is offered by Etisalat, which costs AED 100. For your cell, it contains a local SIM and is valid for up to 60 days. It can be stretched more, but by then, most new immigrants will have their residency permits and places of residence settled and will possibly want to switch to something for longer-term usage that is more extensive (and cheaper).
Unsurprisingly, Du provides the latest arrival called the Visitor Mobile Line with pretty much the same thing. It only costs AED 35 and is good for seven days. It can also be renewed/topped up, but you will need to do the calculations on which is best/cheapest for your personal needs of the two deals above.
BE SURE ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED
Irrespective of which company you select as your supplier, when you visit one of their several Dubai retail locations to purchase one of their ‘combo’ bundles, you can come under some intense pressure. That means a single monthly charge for telephone, landline, Internet and television, and a contractual duration of usually two years.
So if you are looking for that then you can easily sign on the papers. It will also save you from the variety of questions and offers you will hear further from them. You would be required to consider the following:
- Do you need an iPhone or an Android phone?
- How many minutes a month do you typically use?
- Do you want limitless minutes?
- Which package would work best for you?
If you notice that you need more minutes or more of mobile data after some months, upgrading to a more costly plan that will give you what you want than downgrading is always better because you don’t need (or are likely to use) all the minutes and gigabytes that you figured you would need.
The preceding covered all the basic information about the sim card system in the UAE, so you must decide and make your mind with the offers and sim. Your mobile must be with you all the time, as in the case of an emergency your phone is your best partner. Dubai is a big city so you should take a phone with you to call for someone if anything happens. If you are planning to migrate to Dubai for a long-term purpose then look for District one Dubai villas for sale, they are opulent yet at a very reasonable price.
Mark is an avid home blogger, with the goal of helping his readers find inspiration and ideas for their next project. He writes about everything from small design projects to large renovations. His goal is to help people transform their homes into something that reflects who they are.
