girlnextdoor

Hi all,
Be moving to Doha late April - will really appreciate some tips and help with regards to the below:-

a) Internet at home - best plan to get?
b) TV subscription - best plan to get?
c) Mobile phone - best plan to get?
d) Opening a bank account - how long does it take and what do i need to do?
e) How to buy a car?

Thanks in advance for your help! Look forward to the move!

Cheers!

girlnextdoor

hello anyone home? haha

Johnnyboy11

Welcome to the forums, and to Doha when you arrive. April is a nice time to acclimatise.

Like most services in Qatar, it will be a state monopoly and really crap quality. So for mobile phone/ internet/ tv you are stuck with q-tel or whatever they call themselves now - Ooredoo? Their fibre optic network is needed for TV (Mosaic) but it doesn't cover much of the city. They will gouge you with charges, whatever service you choose. Be particularly wary of their roaming mobile phone charges, they will empty your credit, whatever the balance, within 5 mins. of leaving Qatar.

Best to get the fastest broadband package they offer, open a VPN account then stream UK TV from your Sky account (or a friends Sky account) using Sky-Go.

I'd link you to the Q-tel website, but it is currently down, or my broadband is playing up, it's Friday after all.

I use the only other mobile phone provider, Vodafone, and they are fine.

[J]

msalih

hey.. ive just done half these things so I can help
The internet and t.v. are provided by the building I live in I think its from ooredoo.
For the mobile phone, I was with vodafone (but i found the signal to be terrible) now im with ooredoo. Price wise they are very similar.
Opening a bank account is a relatively quick process, you can open one and get a debit card within 20 minutes. You need a letter from your company stating your wage and your passport/ Qatar ID.
For a car, check out Qatarsale.com or Qatarliving.com, but id recommend you get your licence first

JamesandTamsin

@girlnextdoor I'm subscribing to your thread as I'm moving out there on the 29th March so will be in the same boat.

Can anyone say what the broadband speed is like from experience?

captainjack

abc) Internet/TV/Mobile

Ooredoo offer all the above, the only other alternative is Vodafone but they only do Mobile and they are more costly than Ooredoo and Ive heard coverage is not as good as Ooredoo.

Mobile packages come in 2 flavours: Hala or Shahry. Hala is basically pay as you go and Shahry is pre-paid. Packages are on the Ooredoo site, and you have to subscribe to a data package separately out here. You can only subscribe to services, open an account, really do anything once you have your Qatari ID.

For TV, you can subscribe to Mozaic TV with Ooredoo or go for OSN (OSN is far better)

For Landline, right now its basically 3 types of connections you can have. 1) 1) Broadband is 4MB max and costs 400 riyals PM plus compulsory telephone rental at 33 riyal. Unlimited downloads with a min. 1 yr subscription and there are additional installation/router charges or something for the first time/setup.

2) Fibre, if its in your area, are available in speeds 10, 50, 100MB; still has not rolled out everywhere tho. Prices and packages:
http://www.ooredoo.qa/en/DP_FTTX_PAC...73064753892749

3) Then you have 4G router, which is 100 riyals per week for unlimited, an alternative if fibre isnt in your area. You can get it on your mobile or as a mobile router for the home. The router costs approx. 650 riyals, speeds are dependant on the area you live in so it is best to somehow check the 4G speed for your apartment BEFORE buying the router as no refunds and exchanges is pretty much the norm out here.

d) Opening a bank account - how long does it take and what do i need to do?

You need a Qatari ID to open an account. Note, you can only have an account with 1 bank in the country, there are many to choose from out here. I believe they have approx. 30 diff banks you can choose from! You will see a lot of offers in stores if you use this card you get this much back - which requires you to transfer your monthly salary to the new bank. Basically be aware of all the charges a bank does, as they charge for everything out here, and find out which one is best for you. QNB is the biggest one out here.

e) How to buy a car?

Best website is Qatarsale.com, driving is pretty bad out here, traffic is terrible.
Again, you cannot buy without a Qatari ID, you must get your car checked out before buying, there are only 1 or 2 reliable places out here to take car to so be aware. Its mandatory as they like to drive in the dunes which really mess the vehicle up. Toyota and Nissan have the best re-sale value AND are cheapest for parts. Anything less than a 4x4 then dont be surprised if you get cut up and basically disrespected on the road.

Initially when you come you do 2 things, hire a driver to drop you off/collect you from office and occasional shopping at the start. Then rent a car and get a feel of the land/how to drive. Friday mornings are the best as its beginning of weekend and natives only start to venture out after Friday prayers which start at 11:30-12ish.

Driving is pretty bad here so get used to constant honking, lot of traffic, driving rightup your rear bumper and being flashed manically, drivers ignoring the rules of the road.

Lastly, unless you have cash to buy car outright, most usually take a loan from the bank. There are 2 types of loans to consider, 1 is a car loan and the other is a personal loan. There are no difference in interest rates between the 2 BUT
if you take a car loan, the bank actually owns the car until it is paid off AND the problem with this is its very restrictive. If you decide to drive to a neighbouring country, you need their written permission, if you decide to sell it, you need their permission and to pay them off. However, if you take a personal loan, the car is yours with no restrictions! Do with it as you wish.

Last but not least, you can NOT take your car to the garages (all seem to be located in Industrial Area - think if it as a car graveyard!) without a police report. So be aware of this, if you need any more info, give me a shout.

girlnextdoor

@johnnyboy11 @msalih thank you very much for the info.

@jamesandtamsin good luck w the move!

captainjack

Hey I just replied with an extensive post, confirmed posted yet nothing listed?!?

mikewot

Because you're a new kid on the block and we 'monitor' new posts with links etc. I'll approve it now as it doesn't appear that you're a spammer

captainjack

Jeez, looks like the CEO of QA power trip has spread...

mikewot

Don't underestimate the buzz we moderators get when we have the power of life and death over posts, it's mindblowing!

EastWest

why u need a police report?

girlnextdoor

@captainjack thanks a whole lot!! Did not see ur post till after i replied! good stuff!

captainjack

Its actually a law in the country, the police are known for surprise raids on garages as well to ensure all the cars they have on their sites have the official police reports permitting the vehicle can be repaired, and only the damage that has been reported on the report.

Driving is terrible here, there is an unhealthy lack of road sense and I guess by ensuring no car can be repaired without their permission, they will become aware of any incidents on the road whether it is reported or not.

EG, a hit and run on another car, the victim goes to police report and files a report and they didnt catch the license plate, the police acknowledge the incident and you HAVE to pay 100 QAR to obtain the report stating the damage on the vehicle. They will either make you wait 8 days prior to giving the report or give you one on the spot; they are very temperamental and unfortunately its not about rules and procedures but who you speak to and what their mood is. You take to insurer and they then agree and send to garage. Now if the driver that hit and drove off now wants damage to their car repaired, they will have to go police station and unless they convince them the damage happened in another way the police will, you would hope, catch on. So though a good idea in principle its not 100% effective as all the other driver who drove off has to do is go a few days later and state they were hit and the driver drove off.

The other issue here is, you can ONLY report the accident to the police station in the area it happened! This is a very frustrating rule.

CanuckGrl

I'm Canadian, not British, and have found this website tremendously helpful as I consider a job offer in Doha. If I accept I will likely be there in April.

Thanks to all who provided helpful information in this thread.