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When asked, 40 per cent of readers said they were satisfied with their service operator and 18 per cent said they were very happy.
The rest though, were either not satisfied, indifferent or very unhappy with their operator (18 per cent, 17 per cent and seven per cent respectively).
It also found that most people had no plans to change their operator in the coming 12 months.
Although on the surface it looks like good news for Middle East telcos, a look at why they don't plan to change paints a different picture. Many said they won't change because the alternative is no better.
Even though more operators are setting up, while some are still part owned by the government customers said this presents no real difference. This lack of competition, many said, meant that there was no point in switching service provider.
As you would expect, those who are unhappy were far more vocal than those who are happy. But there was a feeling that Middle East telcos still have a long way to go to catch up with the customer service, product offerings, prices and ease of use that is available to customers in Europe and the US.
'Terrible coverage, inconsistent network reliability, intermittent signal strength during phone calls - an absolutely unsatisfactory service. Some third world countries have better service. Current service is where the US and Europe was 20 years ago,' said one unhappy customer.
No real competition
A cynical view of the competition emerged among UAE residents, who particularly felt that with the government owning a slice of both operators, there was a need for a third, truly independent operator in the market.
While the lack of real competition was the most common reason people gave for sticking with their current provider, there were a sizeable number who were happy with their operator and had no plans to change. Not wanting to lose their phone number was also cited as a reason for sticking, suggesting that if customers could transfer their number many would consider changing.
Of those that intended to change, or wanted to change, costs, lack of coverage and poor service were the most common reasons. A number also fell into the 'if' bracket. 'If there is a viable alternative', 'if ever the tariffs become cheaper', 'if the new service provider can get me the same mobile number', 'if the services and the quality is better in the other operators', 'if i could find a better one who supports more features' they would change.
Again, while companies may quote big numbers now, it means that as alternative operators appear, they have a better chance of grabbing market share, particularly if they already have a trustworthy name.
Pointing to the saturation now happening in some parts of the Middle East, the breakdown between those who have one line and two lines was almost the same (43 per cent and 40 per cent respectively). Ten per cent claimed to have three, although this could be down to the large number of expats that also keep a phone from their home country.
Rob Jones, Editorial Director
