57% eye change in UAE mobile phone operator

Initiatives like du's Music on Demand portal are key in the battle for customers.

Fifty-seven percent of mobile users in the UAE would consider switching their operator if they were allowed, according to the results of a new survey published this week.

The YouGov Siraj lifestyle poll, which polled 984 UAE residents last month, also revealed that 68 percent of respondents said that Etisalat was their sole mobile service provider, as opposed to just six percent who chose du.

The remaining 26 percent said they used both. When asked to indicate which they consider to be their main service provider (the service provider whose services they use most of the time), Etisalat's figure bumped up 11 points to 79 percent, the survey said.

When respondents were asked if in the future they would consider switching from their current mobile phone service provider 57 percent indicated they would probably or definitely do so.

In fact, 22 percent indicated that they would “definitely” consider the change.

Amir Bozorgzadeh, business development associate at YouGov Siraj, said: “This is certainly a clear signal that albeit assumptions that Etisalat maintains a strong, monopoly-like, position in the market, there is apt room for du to aggressively take market share should its marketing mix continue to exploit the current gap in consumer loyalty.”

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FEATURED COMMENT Coming from a country where Mobile phone operators have cutthroat competition makes me laugh at these 2 operators here.   5 Comments Read more comments »

Mobile phone customers in the UAE are expected to be given the ability to migrate between Etisalat and du networks soon.

Last month, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said it was set to launch mobile phone number portability in the UAE in November.

The move will allow customers to migrate to any network operator using their existing number and will help boost competition between the country's two operators, bringing price and service benefits to consumers, the TRA said.

Also speaking last month, du CEO Osman Sultan said internet customers in the UAE should be able to choose their provider in 2010.

He described opening up competition on fixed internet access as “the next big thing” but was reluctant to put an exact date on when it might happen.

Both operators told DPME.com last month, that they planned to lower broadband prices in 2010.

-Andy Sambidge