BATELCO yesterday announced the launch of its newly-approved BD10 per month Internet package. The package was previously blocked by a Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) emergency order, on June 15.
The package was blocked and customers refunded after the TRA said Batelco had “wrongfully” launched the package which had not obtained required approval.
Now it has finally been approved, after slight concessions to competitors, Batelco chief executive officer Peter Kaliaropoulos said via a live video link-up to Jordan, where he is currently on business.
Batelco was forced to provide a “slightly better” deal to competitors, before being given the go-ahead to launch the package, but that no changes had been made to the package for retail customers, he said.
The company blamed the delay in the package launch on a “cumbersome” process of regulation by the TRA, claiming that it had to get “forward approval and notification” from the authority for 98 per cent of its activities.
It also said it would be submitting a number of ‘initiatives’ proposing changes to Bahrain’s telecommunications law when it is up for review next year.
“Finally, after eight and a half months we have approval to offer to the people in Bahrain the most affordable Internet rates that the GCC has ever seen,” said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
“It is a great win for the consumer and I do believe it’s also a great win for the competition.
“We were forced - or we were asked - according to the regulation, which we never objected to, to also make this offer available to our competitors.
“We always claimed that this was unfair because this is a retail offer but again, at the end of the day, through many months of negotiations, our competitors today have from Batelco an offer which is better than what we’re giving to the retail consumers.
“So hopefully they will be able to offer similar products and packages in the marketplace.”
The move contributes towards making Bahrain a “very competitive telecommunications hub for many companies”, he said.
“We had to offer to our competitors an even better offer than what we offered back in January - let me say slightly better, not fundamentally better, and I’m talking a few fils,” Mr Kaliaropoulos said, but declined to provide actual figures for the deal.
“So the competitors got an additional small discount from us (on) the wholesale offer we had to give them, which then allowed the TRA to approve the retail offer.”
The company criticised the delay in launching the package, which it said was first proposed to the TRA on January 29.
“The reality is, despite the eight and a half months of debate, deliberations, the end outcome is exactly what we asked eight and a half months ago,” said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
“So I guess we’re equally concerned at how long this process takes - but having said that, we accept the current regulatory environment.”
Batelco will be submitting a number of ‘initiatives’ to change telecommunications law when it is reviewed next year, he added.
“We have to notify the authority and if we want to change anything, our prices, our terms, we have to go through a very cumbersome process - our competitors do not,” said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
“The telecommunications law, as I understand, is up for review next year and obviously we have now quite a few years of experience working with the current regulatory process and we will be submitting a number of initiatives to try and change that for the benefit of the industry, and for the benefit of the consumers.”
The BD10 package is for new Internet users, or those who cannot afford Batelco Internet packages priced at BD30, 40 and 60, he said.
“High users” packages with faster speeds and more download capacity are also in the works, said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
“We have gone back and revised the top end of our packages, we have made the submission to the regulator.
“The regulator informed us again a couple of weeks ago that the submission we made, which would give customers more downloads and also faster speeds when they reach various download levels, give them a lot better value for the same money.”
Batelco’s BD 5 Internet plan is currently being worked on and, and “unlimited Internet” for users with a high volume of downloads could be provided at a faster speed, said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
The BD 10 package does not require a separate telephone line and will not tie up the phone line it uses, and reportedly offers downloads at a rate which is 400 per cent faster than standard telephone line and modem connections.
The new service was approved by the TRA on August 23. Consumers can pre-register for the service from today for delivery from October 10 onwards.
The package offers speeds of up to 256kbits per second and a download limit of two gigabytes and is aimed at “most light to moderate users who don’t download large music and video music files”, said Mr Kaliaropoulos.
GDN :: 13 Sept, ‘06
September 13th, 2006 at 9:59 am
I wonder how long it will take for Batelco to released those “unlimited packages”. :/
September 13th, 2006 at 10:46 am
wake me up for unlimited packages
September 13th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Still too much for a limited package
September 13th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
rofl !!
to hell with them,but on the other hand,its good for people who only need it for browsing !
that day i was talking to a friend in the states,and iw a slike oh sh** my limit is gona finish soon,so he asked how much i had,i told him 15
he was like thats cool,i waas like A MONTH !!!
he started swearing :p !!
he has a 4MB “yes Megabyte not Megabits” download rate,with a 10GB per day
well i wish i had that =|
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
hmph, I guess “msn whores” and forumers would be happy with this.
That’s 80% of bahrain for you - or so.
But still, Batelco are snakes!
Snakes on a #!%!@$!ing plane! :D.
September 13th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
is it a med way for rest of us to get fast one-way sat internet, any one got an affordable isp? heared something like 20eu for unlimited!
September 13th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
LOL wtf is this?
I mean we need some unlimited internet not this crappy s***
September 14th, 2006 at 9:52 am
1. So they let them go ahead with this, should be interesting to see how this pans out, i still want my “pipes” and “dumbtrucks” and no limit please
2. MegaBit is used to gauge the amount of data transfered it is not megabyte because a byte contains 8 bits, and thus is much larger than a megabit, consult your local library for further information
megabit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabit
megabyte
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabyte
i know its nitpicking but i would like people to be well informed of these matters…
September 14th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
OH well, wait some more.
September 15th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Finally, we might see a no limit package !
It was unwise from the beginning to put limits anway
But how much will the unlimited be now ?
September 16th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
But why Batelco will only release this service in October? It smells fishy!! Will October will witness more ISPs and that’s why the smart Batelco is offering this package to fool people?
Maybe!!
As far unlimited packages from Batelco is concerned, I have the feeling that it will BD 100+ so they make it hard for people to share!!!
Guys this is Batelco and they are professionals in stealing people, do not expect any thing to the benefit of its customers!!!
September 16th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
CHeck this out guys:
http://www.qatar.net.qa/barq_home.htm
Qatar is only next door, and they have better offers that the shitty batelco. Note the 2 MB service it is for BD 40 and it is unlimited!!!
Batelco is a mafia, and they are bullshitting people by saying they are offering the cheapest package in the gulf, this is a big lie!!!!
September 16th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
IHB :
By cheapest, they mean the LOWEST value for money.
Also known as LOWEST bang-Per-Buck.
September 16th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Chimi, note that all other companies in the world offer unlimited, which is REAL value for money!!
September 16th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
They can introduce a 1BD package, with no bundeled capacity and still claim it’s the lowest in the world. it’s the running cost that matters.
Dail-up should be FREE for everyone, 256K should be sround 5BD, 10 for 512, 15 for 1MB and 20 for 2MB.
that will be the lowest in the region and close to international pricing
September 18th, 2006 at 12:34 am
keep dreaming…not if batelco is around
September 18th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
http://www.batelco.jo
ppl check this website ,,for how much batelco offers 1 mbps in jordan ,, the fees is in yearly ,, that is per month they pay 13 bd for 1 mb broadband inet connection and we r paying 3 times more and still we r restricted to our usage ,, what the f_____ hell
September 18th, 2006 at 11:30 pm
what else to say
batelco akbar haramiyyah
October 10th, 2006 at 11:13 am
I really don’t see why they “Batelco” would sell Units of
Units=((Download+Upload) “amount of MB in total” * Speed (MB/Second)
Total Bill = Unit price (Bd)*((Download+Upload) “amount of MB in total” * Speed (MB/Second)
so if U Buy 100 Units…then U can change the speed and /or the amount of Download.
Like carpets…U Buy them in Squre Meters
and U get billed that way
Like tellephone = Number of calls * Minutes Per call
simple
October 20th, 2006 at 8:02 am
BD 10 only !! what after that?
Batelco cheating customers and this rubish must stop.
It is not only BD 10,what how many GB?,speed?.
We mst fight to stop this,we need unlimit package same as what others around the world get.
We must work together to compalin to civil court against Batelco.