Emirates Internet and Multimedia, the Internet Service Provider business unit of Etisalat, will launch a new pre-paid Internet access service. The service allows customers to access the Internet from any telephone line using a pre-paid Etisalat scratch card, eliminating the need for an account with EIM.
Similar to EIM's Dial 'n' Surf access service, the pre-paid scratch card allows users to simply plug a computer in to any telephone line for access to the Internet without the need for a subscription. The key difference of the pre-paid model is that time spent on the Internet will not be charged to the telephone bill, but will be deducted from the pre-paid scratch card. Users will therefore not only be spared the inconvenience of settling the bill, but they will also be able to control their expenditures and manage their Internet budgets more effectively.
Charges for the service will be the same as Dial 'n' Surf, which stands at nine dirhams per hour. EIM has integrated the service into the existing Etisalat pre-paid scratch cards that are already widely in use for Etisalat's voice services. The scratch card can be purchased with a set amount of credits, which are available at 30 Emirati dirhmams from familiar distribution outlets. Credits purchased on the cards can be used for both voice and Internet services.
EIM is the Internet service provider arm of Etisalat and was launched in March 2000. It has consistently introduced new products including BusinessOne and Al Shamil, the high speed Internet connections, Internet connections, online registrations, 'dial 'n' surf' and the Albahhar portal. Today EIM has more than 945,000 Internet users, placing the UAE in the top 20 most Internet wired countries in the world. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
