Etisalat has announced a new international-calling ‘Wasel Homeland’ plan for its Wasel prepaid mobile customers, offering them great value through a heavily discounted rate of 99 fils/minute for calling selected Asian countries.

Under the new plan, Wasel customers can fully enjoy the discount while making calls to  India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippines anytime during special off-peak hours from 5pm to 9am, Saturday to Thursday, throughout the day on Friday and public holidays, said an Etisalat statement.

The new 'Wasel Homeland' plan gives Wasel prepaid customers the chance to enjoy discounts on international calls made during the extended off-peak hours, with no rentals or subscription fees, it stated.

Under the plan, all local calls will be charged at 35 fils/min for the first minute and a flat day rate of 30 fils/min from the second minute onwards. All other international calls will not be affected and will be charged as per normal rate and timings, the statement added.

Commenting on the plan, Khalifa Al Shamsi, Etisalat senior vice president (marketing) said, "The new Wasel Homeland plan is in line with our strategy to provide additional value to our customers, by enabling them to save more while conveniently reaching out to their family and friends in their home countries, on a more frequent basis."

"This plan not only provides tremendous value to our Wasel prepaid customers, but also enables them to take advantage of these attractive rates on Etisalat’s high-quality network that covers the entire nation," he pointed out.

"Furthermore, customers can now pick and choose from various "value" options provided by Etisalat, such as Super Off-Peak plan, Favorite Country plan, Global Friends & Family plan, and now the Wasel Homeland plan, thereby providing customized options based on their diverse requirements,” Al Shamsi added.

To take advantage of the attractive 99 fils Wasel Homeland plan, Wasel prepaid customers can subscribe by simply sending an SMS, ‘e99’ to 1010. Alternatively they can subscribe through IVR by calling 125, select ‘3’ and then select ‘1’ for the “Wasel Homeland” plan, the Etisalat statement said.

On extended off-peak hours, Al Shamsi said, “Our customers can call their families at more convenient hours of the day, not worrying about the time differences between the UAE and Asian countries. At the same time, it gives them the flexibility and peace of mind from knowing that they can talk for longer and at more attractive rates.”
 
Etisalat also announced that it will soon adopt a simplified and worry-free flat-rate plan for selected voice-calls aimed to increase clarity.

"Starting November 15, all local calls made between mobile and fixed-line, and from mobile to mobile, will be charged at 30fils/minute all day long. Customers not subscribed to any of Etisalat’s international calling plans such as Super Off-Peak, Favorite Country Plan or any other plan, will continue to enjoy off-peak rates on international calling, during off-peak hours between 9pm to 7am," he added.-TradeArabia News Service