lofty1

Hi all,

i've been in Dubai 2 days and have got a Du SIM for my mobile but the network coverage seems absolutly terrible? Is Etisalat pretty uch the same? I thought Du now owned Etisalat?? Maybe there is a problem with my phone rather then the network as its not recognising Du as a network to get the correct settings (phone is a HTC Touch) but it makes calls and sends texts fine!?

Help!

Blue Cat

I am with Etisalat have been for ten years, and I haven't heard many good things about DU

Confucius

The only communication you'll be having with a DU line is "du du dudu du du dudu duduuuuuuuu"...
DU's for the under 18's...

typical

If you don't see 'du' displayed but do see '424-03', it just means your phone doesn't have the name 'du' programmed in to display - otherwise it'll work fine.

I've found a few places where du has better signal than Etisalat, but generally it's the other way round.

No Blackberry service on du, if that makes any difference.

Robbies

I am with Du (and am not under 18)

Have not had any problems in the last 4 months so would recommend them. No experience of Etisalat though, so can't compare.

One advantage of Etisalat however is they offer a service where you can get 2 sim cards with the same number - handy if you have a car phone for example. Du don't offer this service.

sunset87

I think the two companies have their advantages.
Me with Etisalat and I find it’s very good company. I will never change to other telecom companies.

AndyB123

Am moving to Dubai in Jan and so whats a good mobile phone to use over there. Is it best to buy over here and get a sim from the line provider or just buy a package over there.

typical

If you want a good phone and you want to keep a UK number going, get a contract and a phone that can be easily unlocked while you're in the UK. Then buy a cheap phone and a SIM once you get to Dubai, and put the Dubai SIM in the good phone and the UK SIM in the cheap phone. There's no (significant) phone subsidy over here so getting a nice phone involves a significant up-front cost, and having a UK number in Dubai involves having a contract on most (all?) networks.

If you don't want a UK number any more, or you don't really care what phone you use, it's probably cheaper to buy a low-end phone in Dubai.

AndyB123

Ok so here is were I show my stupidity, what exactly is unlocking a mobile phone, also is it legal? Or is that another soooo dumb question.

typical

If you buy a phone on contract in the UK, it might be locked to that network. Unlocking is the act of 'fixing' the phone to work on any network, and it's perfectly legal - but not possible for all phones on the market. It usually costs a tenner down your local market.

Any phone you buy in Dubai will be unlocked, so you can use any SIM you want.

Welivehere

Go with Etisalat. I've tried both and du only lasted 2 weeks before I switched back. We went to Fujeirah and du signal dropped just after Shj, the next signal I got was from Oman Mobile in Fujeirah. Also had issues with making or receiving calls and texts (especially international).... All topped off by a customer service reponse that would have made a soporific sloth look quick.....

Number7

There is no denying that Etisalat is better than Du.
But, if you have DU, you could survive and keep your friends-job !