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Etisalat may lower iPhone prices

Etisalat may lower iPhone prices

Etisalat will lower the prices of its Apple iPhone packages if given approval by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), according to a media report today.

The Arabic daily Al Khaleej quoted Etisalat’s chief executive, Mohammed al Qamzi, as saying the company had submitted a request to the TRA for a price reduction, but had yet to hear back from the regulator.

Etisalat’s pricing plans for the iPhone put the company at the top end of all international operators offering the device. Its plans are up to 50 per cent more expensive than similar deals in Jordan and Egypt, and more than double the price of comparable iPhone packages in the UK or Australia. In requesting permission for a price reduction, the company appears to be acknowledging demand in the market for a lower-priced offering.

The two UAE telecommunications companies must submit all pricing schemes for approval by the regulator, which has been keen to avoid a price war emerging between the deep-pocketed Etisalat and its newer competitor, du. Mr al Qamzi told the newspaper that a number of new pricing offers from Etisalat had been rejected by the TRA, and that the regulator had yet to make clear when the two companies would be able to engage in more direct competiton.

Since its launch in early 2007, du has captured about 30 per cent of the UAE mobile market, and now attracts the majority of new mobile customers. The company has long been clear on its strategy to target the budget-conscious segment of the market and has launched a number of discount price offers in recent months.

tgara@thenational.ae

[Thanks: http://www.thenational.ae]

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