Telecom is one of the few fixed costs a UAE business signs up for in its first month and then never looks at again. It sits on the bank statement for years. This guide puts real numbers on what an SME in Dubai or Abu Dhabi actually pays in 2026, what each line item buys, and — more usefully — where the money quietly leaks.
The Monthly Bill for a Real Office
Take a six-person consultancy in Business Bay. Everyone is in the office most days, two people travel occasionally, clients call the landline. Here is what that costs:
Under AED 500 per employee per month for connectivity, a phone system, security and Microsoft licences. The three green rows are the point of the table: they are real services with real value that arrive at zero incremental cost because they are bundled into the internet package. Miss that, and you will happily buy them again from someone else.
Where SMEs Overspend
Oversized speed tiers. The most common one. A team of six on a 1000 Mbps line, because 1000 sounded safer than 550. The right question is how many people are on video calls or uploading files at the same moment — usually a third of headcount. Our speed sizing guide has the arithmetic.
Paying twice for what is bundled. An SME with a business internet package, plus a separate Microsoft 365 subscription, plus a separate antivirus subscription, plus a maintenance contract on an old PBX box — all four of which are already covered by the package. This is the single biggest recoverable saving we find, and it costs nothing to check.
Premium SIMs across the board. Roaming and international minutes are worth paying for — for the two people who actually travel. Putting an entire office on the premium tier because it was simpler to order is an easy few hundred dirhams a month gone. Match the tier to the person, as set out in the corporate SIM guide.
The One Number That Actually Matters
Not the monthly bill. The cost of the office being offline. A six-person consultancy billing clients by the hour loses more in one morning of downtime than it saves in a year of shaving AED 200 off the internet package. That is the real argument against running a company on a cheap consumer line: not that it is slower, but that when it fails you have no SLA, no priority queue and no one to call.
Budget accordingly. Buy the tier that fits your real usage, use everything that comes bundled with it, and spend the saved attention on making sure the connection is one you can rely on. If you want a second opinion on your current bill, we will read it with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a small office budget monthly?
A 4–6 person Dubai office typically lands between AED 1,900 and AED 2,600 all-in, including SIMs — under AED 500 per employee.
Where is the easiest saving?
Stop paying separately for antivirus, Microsoft 365 or a phone system that is already bundled with your business internet package.
Is business internet worth it over home?
For a registered company, yes — the SLA, trade-licence invoicing and bundled licences are things a home package cannot offer at any price.
Think you are overpaying?
Send us your current telecom bill on WhatsApp. We will tell you what you are paying twice for — even if the answer is that you should stay where you are.
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