UPDATE 14th of April: Although there now seem to be controversy around whether Skype is allowed or not, we cannot help but understand the savings we can make through Voice over IP calling.
Dubai 9th of April: It’ s about time!
Based on this recent news headlines, UAE residents can now access Skype to make phone calls to friends and families abroad on their landline or mobile phones. Now, what does this new opening up of regulation mean to us? Definitely, a breather for many of us who call home a lot but imagine what that means for small businesses and entrepreneurs! Those who work with suppliers, clients or advisors overseas until today have been racking up their phone bills pretty quickly due to the inability of using VoIP at a much cheaper cost.
Souqalmal.com, UAE’s leading comparison website has put together a quick analysis of comparison of rates from Du, Etisalat and Skype to give you an idea how much savings can be made using the Skype calls. Not only do you benefit from cheaper pay as you go rates, but Skype also provides you the ability to subscribe monthly and bringing in even more savings for your wallet or your business. There are different options and for the purpose of the table below, we have taken the 120 minutes a month subscription. If you want to compare the different phone plans available in the UAE, you can do that using the Souqalmal.com search and comparison engine.
From looking at the numbers, a call of 30 mins to India can cost between AED 56 to AED 72 depending on peak or off peak rates and making this call through Skype would cost you only AED 10. That is a difference of 460% ! At this rate, you can save up to 80% on your phone bill and assuming you call home for 30 mins once a week, you can save up to AED 3,200 in a year on your phone bills – this savings can actually buy you a ticket home instead.
Here is a list of countries and the comparison of international Pay As You Go rates between Skype and UAE Providers:
Source: Du, Etisalat and Skype sites