DAMMAM, 1 May — The launch of the pre-paid SIM cards for mobile phones by the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has increased the demand of mobile phones in the Eastern Province by nearly 30 percent.
However, the prices of many brands have at the same time sharply declined.
Since the announcement of the launch of the prepaid cards, the mobile phone retailers have been reporting a huge surge in demand.
During the past three days, "our sales of many brands have surpassed all expectation," said a sales executive at Safari Mobile Phones Establishment in Dammam.
At the same time, the market for second hand mobile phones is constantly increasing.
"It may be that many users now want to retain their old mobile service and own another SIM-mobile, but at the same time they are not prepared to invest in a second new mobile," the owner of Orbit Mobile Phones in Alkhobar speculated.
He added that the prices of many famous brands and their various models have gone down in the past two days by more than 15 percent. He expects a further decline in prices during the coming days.
"It will not be long before dealers will be handing over free mobile phones to first-time subscribers. The introduction of SIM cards has changed the whole situation and competition between the private authorized dealers is going to be intensified. It is the customer who is certain to benefit," said an executive at Majlis Mobile Phones in Alkhobar.
