Ajman kicks off over big games blackout
services require fibre optic cable that is currently not available in parts of the emirate.
Etisalat and du instead provide a fixed LTE service, which does not have the necessary bandwidth to show live football.
Mahmoud Said, 39, from Al Muwaihat 3, said he has an LTE service but had no idea he would not be able to subscribe for the World Cup until he called his provider, Etisalat.
“I was first informed of the package and just towards the end of the call, the customer service agent asked me for my service account number. When I gave it to him, he said he was sorry that he can’t help me because the service is not available where I live,” Mr Said said.
He visited the provider’s office in Ajman, where he was told the same.
“They told me since there is no fibre cable network in the area, I can’t buy the package. I was frustrated, I have been living in the same area for nine years now, and since my second year of living here, Etisalat had been saying they will install fibre optic cable in my neighbourhood soon. It’s been over six years now and they still haven’t installed it,” he said.
This year’s World Cup is of particular interest to people in the UAE because a record four Arab teams have qualified, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, spearheaded by Liverpool hero Mo Salah.
Egyptian Adam Khaled, 18, is desperate to see Salah and the rest of the team take on the world, but has fallen foul of the same cable service problem in Al Rawda.
Another fan said the World Cup blackout could encourage viewers to seek out illegal streaming websites.
“I don’t know what to say. This is just unacceptable. They are leaving us with no option but to go to illegal websites,” said one unhappy customer. Rashid Dafoos, 15, was keen to watch defending champions Germany take on Mexico, a game that proved one of the highlights of the event so far as the Latin American side clinched a surprise win.
The Emirati fan said: “I just can’t understand the problem here, if you have it installed elsewhere, how hard is it to install it in our area?”
These customers – according to a du employee – were among many who had visited to complain. The National visited the Etisalat office in Ajman, where a customer care supervisor said the provider was offering the World Cup only as part of its eLife package.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience, but this is all we have at the moment,” they said.
Etisalat and du were contacted for comment.
They told me since there is no network in the area, I can’t buy the package. I have been in the area for nine years MAHMOUD SAID Ajman resident