A wealthy Qatari businessman paid a dear price for an easy-to-remember (ETR) mobile phone number at a Qtel charity auction yesterday.

The man shelled out QR1.4 million ($284,000) for the number, which is presumably unlisted. The lowest price paid for a ETR number during last night’s auction was QR200,000, a Qtel spokesman said.

The Peninsula reports:

An incredible set of memorable, distinctive number combinations had been set aside for auction, including numbers beginning with 33 and with 66… the funds raised this year will go to Sheikh Fahad Bin Jassim Kidney Centre and for the support for indebted and poor people in Qatar…

Qtel’s special charity auction which has been done every year has already been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records when it saw the sale of QR10mn (US $3.65m) for a special number (666 6666) in 2006. It is recorded as the world’s most expensive phone number.

The previous world record holder was a Chinese number 8888 8888, which was sold for the local currency equivalent of QR 1.75m bought by Sichuan Airlines.

Wow! Thoughts?