15 April, 2008

No Roaming Charges for Zain


This is a very interesting thing I read at Alwaqt. Zain, one of the mobile operators in Bahrain, wants to link Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan & Sudan in a one transcontinental network.
Meaning? If you go to Jordan, using your Zain's number will cost you the same as if you were in Bahrain. How cool is that? No more cut-throat roaming charges!
The best thing is: Saudi Arabia will join too in three months once Zain opens up as the third mobile operator in KSA. This is excellent news as Bahrainis often go to Saudi and vice versa on a daily basis.
This forward thinking of Zain comes unfortunately at a time when a lot of subscribers complain about the quality of the 3G network (including yours truly). When I spoke to Zain's help desk they asked me to stop using the 3G network and use normal GSM network, which is a hidden admission of the 3G network's failure.

8 comments:

Ammaro said...

would be amazing if it works as promised. yes, 3g = bollocks (so is wimax)

Redbelt said...

My guess is that 3G is overworked with the increase of subscribers and Zain's data lines (e-go). Hence the regular GSM network is free of pressure and is more stable.
Again, that is a guess though.

Anonymous said...

chan zain they opeerate in UAE too!!

Islander said...

lets hope the overage isnt as crappy as thier stupid zain @ home

Anonymous said...

that's revolutionary! especially for people in the region who travel a lot..

regarding Zain@home, do you guys recommend it? sunshine doesn't seem so happy with it :)

Redbelt said...

Fawazu> yeah, you'd have one number only then! :)
Sunshine> try switching to GSM network instead of 3G. I guess its overcrowded at the moment.
a> Don't use Zain@Home, I heard to many horror stories and few positive ones.

Anonymous said...

horror stories?! like what?
sorry for all the questions, i'm really curious now

Redbelt said...

Well, I have a friend who said he applied, but after 3 weeks no one came. He complained and they gave him an e-go to get by on until someone calls him up.
Another tried to install it but couldn't because the dish got no reception.
Others were complaining of unstable speeds, although at first I heard the speeds were amazing, maybe it got more crowded.
Here is a thought, anyone that has any Telecoms horror story please send it to me. I'll collect them all then post them.