Free wifi in Dubai

April 7, 2008 2:44 AM

Need free wifi in Dubai (or paid fast broadband access max upto 5 Dirhams/hour). Also any advice on job-search in IT or related fields ?

Hello mefites,
I am in Dubai for a month on a v. low budget and need free wifi access to help me in my job search here.

I am located in Bur Dubai, but willing to take a bus to Deira or nearby places so that I have good access. Also it would be good to have a list of all wifi hotspots in Dubai as quite often I will be traveling for interviews etc.

The cybercafes near my place here (Mina mkt - Dubai museum) charge anywhere between 2-3 Dhs/hour, but the quality is so crappy that even after spending hours I can hardly get any work done. If there are no free wifis around I am willing to pay say upto 5 Dhs/hour for a good connection provided I know where it is available. There are a few cafes but all in the range of 10-15 Dhs/hour which is too costly for my purse.

Also, any of you have ideas/tips on how to structure or approach my job-search here in Dubai/GCC? My strategy for now is going through personal contacts and updating resume on online job sites like bayt.com, jobsindubai.com, nadia-me.com etc.. Ideas on how to make it more effective are most welcome.

While I am at it, who knows which future employer might be reading this..here's my short profile:
BE(Comp) graduate, 7 1/2 years in core software development experience in top-notch MNC companies in India (2 yrs in USA), currently employed in blue-chip American company in Bglore for last 5 years, encompassing all SDLC phases like analysis/design, architecting, coding, post-implementation support, documentation, etc..in individual/lead roles. If you or anyone in yr network is looking for a smart graduate in IT or associated roles like sales, mktg etc..please write to me at forwebsites AT gmail dot com for more details.

Thanks.

posted by forwebsites to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Have you tried googling "wifi dubai"? Here's the first hit. And here's the first hit for "wifi dubai list."

As someone who is in a slow Internet country right now, I will give you this advice:

- ask local ex-pats where they get their Internet from when not at work
- try places where ex-pats are: hotels, ex-pat bars and cafes (this is pretty much where any wifi is here in Armenia)

And, IMHO, job searching doesn't require fast Internet. Fast Internet is a gift, not a right. Learn to live with it if you want to live in this part of the world.
posted by k8t at 2:56 AM on April 7, 2008

Here's two more that came up from googling "wireless internet dubai."
posted by k8t at 2:58 AM on April 7, 2008

k8t..I did search for them and saw some of those pages. I think that list is all for paid wifi with v.expensive izone prepaid cards from Etisalat. I am looking for wifi on the free/cheapo. They all have providers listed against those wifi centers. I found from Starbucks here that they work with izone cards (almost 15 Dhs/hour). So I presume other centers are similar in costs. If I am mistaken please let me know.

I do get your point that fast connection is a gift, I never intoned in my post that I deserve it. If there is connection available for free I will take it. Basically I am panhandling "brother, do you have some wifi?". And regarding job-search..well it has something to do with good netspeed -atleast in initial stages, as most recruitment sites here have their own custom-made N-step resume uploading process..and most of the tiems on this crappy network I get stalled in some step in between.

Thanks.
posted by forwebsites at 3:16 AM on April 7, 2008

There are lots of hotels in Dubai with huge IT departments. Good place to start if you don't mind doing some tech support, could also help tide you over until you find something better. Don't know what the salaries are like, though. Go to the staff entrances, not the front desks, to ask about recruitment. Might be worth a shot. Best of luck :)
posted by ReiToei at 6:21 AM on April 7, 2008

[derail removed - unless you think OP has not heard of Google, please do not just link to Google results as an "answer" and stick more or less to the question asked, thanks!]
posted by jessamyn at 7:35 AM on April 7, 2008

Forum page with list of free wifi in UAE:
http://www.emiratesmac.com/forums/internet-networking-communication/1166-free-wifi-hotspots.html
posted by k8t at 10:00 AM on April 7, 2008

The last time I've been to one of the Starbucks stores (I think it is the one close by the Indian elephant statue) in Ibn Battuta Mall, it had a free Du-powered wifi connection. I don't know if this is still true though.
posted by howiamdifferent at 6:15 PM on April 7, 2008