VIVA Number Launch plus some more details
Posted by Farukh Bashir | Posted in Misc | Posted on 09-02-2010
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Just got off the phone with my contact at VIVA Bahrain. Confirmed some of the information that I received from other sources.
VIVA will start selling numbers from tomorrow morning at 4 am. 4 different Categories of Numbers.
Gold Numbers for 100 dinars.
Silver Numbers for 50 Dinars.
Bronze for free.
Free Numbers.
That’s not all. Customers who buy a Gold or Silver Number will be provided by a USB Internet Device much like O-Net or e-Go from Batelco & Zain for free.
Those buying a Gold number will be given the device for 6 months period and guess what each month they have a threshold of 60GB.
For Customers buying a Silver Number will be given a device for free for a period of 4 months along with 60GB of threshold. They will tell you its unlimited but fair usage is 60GB.
Also, there will be some kind of giveaways and auctions at City Centre where people can win prizes. Not sure what they are. More on this later.
So if you have been waiting to get your hands on a VIVA number head to www.33.com.bh or www.viva.com.bh starting at 4am wednesday morning to book your number.
When exactly is VIVA going to start its service is still not confirmed. Been testing VIVA’s service for quite some time and I have very few reasons to complain provided that its still in testing phase.
Will update when I get some more information regarding packages. Comment away your thoughts and criticism.
I would like to subscribe
Isn't it unlimited?
or is it "unlimited usage"?
im so sorry, i just saw the rest of the post!
thank you for the useful info!
hey. how come the number booking page keeps opening up the homepage??! Do they have any corporate plans yet?
Any idea on the TRA's idea on customers being able to keep their numbers and change service providers? THAT would mean real competition.. Im dying to get rid of (mo) Zain.
They are having problems with the site or the developers are not capable to handle the Job. 4 days of downtime is a huge disappointment. Whoever has STC hired to do the Website should be fired.
It's weird, I tried to find any document about the 60GB fair usage policy but I couldn't. Do you work for them? From your blog, looks like you are an insider. It's shame that its advertised 21Mbps and the max I was able to get around Bahrain is about 6Mbps. At only one occasion that I managed to get about 18Mbps is on the highway near Sakhir.
The Fair usage policy is not mentioned anywhere. I dont work for STC i got few sources inside that feed me the information. I guess they will put up the FUP once the site is active.
3G/3.5G you'll only be able to get 21Mbps if you live in heaven or are the only one using it. Internet Devices using the 3/3.5G network are using the same cell towers as the people who are on their mobile. The more users the less bandwidth everyone gets.
21Mbps advertisement is basically a marketing gimmick. We all know in real world scenario that is not achieveable. Even with you getting 18Mbps would be only for few minutes before you get down to the average speed of anywhere from 4-12Mb.
yah it's wright, but VIVA using 4 G network as what they publish in news paper, which consider as most advanced mobile network in bahrain
After your comment i had to go back and check if i made a mistake or someone gave me wrong Info. I would point out that you are incorrect in making that claim. Viva will be using 3G & 3.5G network only at this time. 4G which is also called LTE is not being used at all in Bahrain by any carrier. It'll be a long time before we hear anything official from either one of the three carriers that they are going to test LTE networks or an official launch. Seeing how long it took us to get 3G i guess it will be somewhere in the middle of next year we will hear something.
Hi Farukh. I saw an Iphone on display at the Viva stall in City Center last night (couldn’t go near to see details as they had closed down). Do you know if they are bringing Iphone to Bahrain officially? Seems strange, since STC doesn’t have it in Saudi…
Hi Farukh. I saw an Iphone on display at the Viva stall in City Center last night (couldn’t go near to see details as they had closed down). Do you know if they are bringing Iphone to Bahrain officially? Seems strange, since STC doesn’t have it in Saudi…
No They wont be launching an Iphone officially like how Mobile Does it in Saudi Arabia. The Iphone will be sold just as the same way Batelco and Zain are selling it at the moment.
My Source in Batelco told me long ago that They have been trying to Launch the iphone officially since it came out but the problem is that TRA (Telecommunication regulatory Authority) is not allowing them to Launch the iphone exclusively. TRA wants them to share the Iphone with Zain. That might be fine but there is another problem i.e. Apple wont allow 2 carriers to share the Iphone. I cant figure out why that is not possible, because apple is already doing that in UAE where DU and Etisalat both have the right to sell iphone. I guess we will have to wait till either side backs down and the iphone gets a go ahead to be officially available.