Demand for 3G Mobile Phone handsets rising in Qatar
According to this article, people are maing 3G calls....has anyone made one?
THE demand for 3G handsets is growing following Qtel’s launch of the third generation mobile service in Qatar. Inquiries with mobile phone dealers reveal that a large number of customers are showing interest in the 3G service, which currently provides video calling facility across the state.
According to some mobile phone dealers at Souq al-Najda hundreds of people have already bought 3G handsets.
Ashraf, who works in a sales outlet at Souq al-Najda, said some customers prefer trade-in as opposed to new purchase of 3G handsets.
"We have sold over 200 3G handsets of various brands within one-and-a-half months of the service launch," he said.
Other vendors at Souq al-Najda have also reported brisk sale of 3G handsets priced at QR1,000 and above.
One reason for the increasing demand could be that the new service is not limited to post-paid customers, the dealers said. Pre-paid customers too can access the service if they have 3G handsets.
Currently, Qtel has about 825,000 mobile customers of whom 650,000 are pre-paid holders.
Qtel’s introductory 3G rates are also not very high, many say. Mobile users have to pay only Dh10 extra per minute for 3G-video calling.
This means post-paid subscribers have to pay Dh45 per minute during peak hours (7am to 6.59pm) and Dh40 per minute during off-peak hours (7pm to 6.59am) for 3G-video calls.
Hala (pre-paid) customers will be charged Dh65 per minute round-the-clock for initiating 3G video calls. The 3G network cover the Greater Doha area, from Umm Salal in the north to Sealine Beach resort in the south and from Rayyan in the west to Doha Corniche in the east.
Qtel has set up some 200 base stations across Qatar to support the 3G service.
In areas without the 3G coverage, customers with 3G handsets will automatically default back on to Qtel’s existing 2G network (GSM / GPRS) which covers more than 99% of Qatar’s inhabited areas.
http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.aspx?cu_no=2&item_no=105357&ve...
For once I totally agree with you
I wish the authorities were doing something about this madness
not knowing how to drive is causing most of the accidents here. not leaving a stopping distance, not indicating, changing lanes without looking, having a child on your lap, not wearing a seatbelt, having no where to cross the roads etc etc
Mobiles are a tiny tiny part of the problem
cellphone maniacs are causing most of the accidents here,add a 3G service wasn't a wise thing to do,I bet you all,we will see more tragedies from the multitasker drivers!
Recently, bought a 3G phone and made my first video call, it was really nice. Only problem is keeping track of people who have 3G phones, so you can do video call. I am adding 3 in contact list after the names of people who have 3G phones.
Beast666