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Etisalat users ask ‘how’
about its ‘where’ service
June 28, 2007
DUBAI — Some Etisalat mobile phone
users have pointed out that the ‘Location Based Service’ launched by the mobile service provider in March this
year, lacked clarity on how and who can avail of the service, or whether the service is available for free to all its mobile
phone users.
This service enables customers to know their locations on the map and the location of places of interest
around them.
When contacted, Etisalat officials pointed out that while the subscription for the service was free,
mobile phone users would be charged only after they send an SMS, requesting for the map and important tourist locations in
a particular area.
“If the mobile handset shows the locations without an SMS request to Etisalat, it means
they have specified settings in their handsets. People who have these settings get the location alerts. It has nothing to
do with Etisalat,” the official clarified.
An official statement from Etisalat said: “Etisalat’s
Location Based Service is launched under two innovative applications — ‘Mobile Map’ and find ‘Nearest’
points of interest. ‘Mobile Map’ enables the user to receive a map showing their current location, with the option
of forwarding this map to other mobiles or emails. The ‘Mobile Map’ service can be accessed via SMS, WAP, MMS
and web channels.”
The statement added: “Using the service is as simple as sending an SMS with the
alphabet ‘m’ to 1333 and the customer will receive an SMS with their location, in addition to a WAP link to view
the map. To receive the map of one’s current location via MMS, the customer can send an SMS with “m mms”
to 1333. For complete listing of all the available options, customer can send “mlist” to 1333. Customers can also
view their requested maps through WAP at http://mobile.weyak.ae or on the web at http://www.weyak.ae/lbs.” The
statement further noted: “Location Based Services have been introduced without any subscription charges and customers
will be charged only 80 fils for each location request. SMS requests sent to 1333 are charged as per standard SMS charges.”
Meanwhile, Biju Ninan, a customer, said: “I never requested for this service, but my mobile phone shows the
places I am in. I was worried whether I would be charged by Etisalat because most of my friends do not have the facility on
their mobile sets.”
Faisal Ahmed, another customer, said something similar: “My mobile phone shows
the location but my wife’s mobile doesn’t. I don’t want to pay for it as it’s not a service I require.
But I don’t know whether Etisalat will charge for it.”
Source: khaleejtimes.com
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