Editorial Standards & Methodology — How We Verify GCC Telecom Data

Every guide on GSMplans is researched, verified, and dated. This page documents exactly how we source, verify, and refresh our content — so you know how much to trust what you read here.

Primary Sources

For every USSD code, plan, and price we publish, we use the following primary sources in order of preference:

  1. Operator official website— the canonical source for pricing, activation codes, and plan terms. We screenshot pricing pages as evidence.
  2. Operator mobile app— often shows promotional pricing that the website doesn’t reflect.
  3. Operator press releases & tariff notifications— required disclosures filed with national telecom regulators (TDRA, CITC, CRA, TRA, CITRA).
  4. Direct customer-care confirmation— for ambiguous or undocumented codes, we call the official customer service line and confirm.
  5. Reputable third-party speed testing— for 5G coverage and speed claims (e.g. Ookla, Opensignal, Ericsson Mobility Reports).

Secondary Sources

We supplement primary research with secondary sources where useful:

  • National telecom regulator filings (TDRA UAE, CITC Saudi Arabia, CRA Qatar, TRA Oman, CITRA Kuwait, TRA Bahrain)
  • Operator quarterly investor reports for subscriber and coverage statistics
  • Independent telecom analysis (Giraffy, Telecompaper, Developing Telecoms)
  • Established regional publications (Gulf News, Arab News, The Peninsula, Khaleej Times, Times of Oman, Gulf Daily News)

Refresh Cadence

  • USSD codes:Reviewed monthly. Operators rarely change codes; reviews catch the occasional change.
  • Plan pricing:Verified quarterly, plus after every major operator announcement (e.g. new tariff filings, promotional launches, network upgrades).
  • Roaming packs:Reviewed bi-monthly because operators rotate seasonal promotions frequently.
  • Coverage maps & speeds:Refreshed when new third-party measurements are published, typically twice per year.

The “Verified [Month Year]” Badge

Every plan page on GSMplans shows the date its data was last verified. This badge is updated only when we actively re-check the underlying source, not when we make a typo fix or formatting change. If a guide shows a badge older than 6 months, please treat the pricing as a baseline and verify with the operator before subscribing.

Corrections & Updates

We take accuracy seriously. If you find an error in any guide:

  1. Use the comment section at the bottom of the page, or contact us via the Contact page.
  2. We aim to verify and respond to corrections within 48 business hours.
  3. Substantive errors get a visible correction note on the affected page.
  4. Typo / formatting fixes are made silently.

Editorial Independence

GSMplans is monetized through display advertising. We have no paid relationshipswith any GCC telecom operator. Our plan rankings, recommendations, and editorial assessments are independent of advertising revenue. Advertisers (Google AdSense and equivalent networks) have no influence on which plans we recommend, which operators we cover, or how we describe them.

Conflict of Interest

Members of the GSMplans editorial team may personally subscribe to GCC operator plans (we have to test them somehow). We disclose this for transparency. We do not accept paid sponsorships, “friendly” mentions, or any other commercial arrangement that could compromise editorial independence.

What We Don’t Cover

To stay focused and credible, we deliberately don’t cover:

  • Smartphone reviews (covered well elsewhere)
  • App tutorials unrelated to telecom
  • Operator stock / investor analysis (we’re consumer-focused)
  • Countries outside the GCC (different market structure, would dilute quality)

Last updated: May 2026.