Media
Telephone and Internet
Telephone calls between land lines within Dubai city are free. Calls between land and mobile, or mobile to mobile incur a small charge. Direct dialling to most countries is available, and one can avail off-peak rates if calling abroad after 9.00pm during the week and all day on Friday. The United Arab Emirates is the most wired nation in the Arab world and one of the top upcoming nations of the online world. Access to the internet is available to businesses and individuals at competitive rates. Residents of the UAE can subscribe to the Internet and choose from several access methods to meet their surfing needs. There are also services that are designed for both residents and visitors who need to access the internet while on the move and without having to subscribe to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Currently, Etisalat and Du provide both telephone and internet services in the UAE.
Newspapers
Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Gulf Today, Emirates Today and 7 days are the daily English-language newspapers while Arabic newspapers include Al-Bayan, Al-Ittihad and Al-Khaleej. Many foreign newspapers and magazines, especially British and Asian, are easily available in supermarkets and bookshops. Online versions of all the papers and tabloids mentioned above are available for viewing without many restrictions.
Television & Radio
Most hotels and homes can receive international news and entertainment broadcast via satellite. Star TV, Orbit, e-vision and Showtime are among the satellite networks that transmit a wide variety of programmes, including BBC World, CNN, Sky News, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network etc, plus well-known sports and movie channels. There are several local free-to-air channels as well, with One tv and MBC being the most popular. There are numerous English-speaking radio channels as well as Hindi, Urdu, Pinoy and Arabic channels. The most recent entrant in this arena is Virgin Radio.