UAE: Dh1.5 million top bid and counting for special 2-digit Etisalat phone number

UAE residents have made top bids of over Dh1.5 million for a new service that shortens Etisalat mobile phone numbers to as little as two digits. Called #TAG, 40 special codes were listed on the Emirates Auction website. The bids for the numbers were scheduled to end on Wednesday night.

#10 has received the highest bid at Dh1.5 million as at 10pm. It's also among the most popular numbers, with over 191 bids made. By the time the auction ends, the figure is likely to go up much further.

The next highest bid as at 10pm was for #15 at Dh800,000 and counting. This was followed by #69, at Dh651,000.

#69 also got the highest number of bids at 299 and counting.

The new service enables customers to link their postpaid mobile phone number to a short number #TAG, replacing the traditional way of dialing the 10-digit number. Customers subscribing to the service are assigned a unique #TAG number linked to their postpaid phone number. So, instead of dialling the 10-digit phone number, they can be reached with the #TAG.

For example, a person whose phone number is 050-XXXXXXX can be dialled up with #100 if he/she manages to buy the #TAG. This is not a new mobile number; it is a code that will be connected to a subscriber’s existing postpaid mobile number.

According to the Emirates Auction website, the service is free for the first 12 months. After this, it costs Dh375 per month.

The special number can only be dialled from within the UAE.

Khaled Elkhouly, chief consumer officer at Etisalat UAE, said the service gives subscribers the opportunity to own the first short mobile number regionally. “By using #TAG, customers can connect faster and more effortlessly than ever before."