Etisalat unveils affordable 2G-to-3G upgrade offer

Etisalat’s 3G network covers 99.98 per cent of the UAE. — Reuters

This latest offer will enable both postpaid and prepaid etisalat customers avail of the opportunity to trade in and upgrade from their old 2G handsets to enjoy the latest 3G technology connecting their e-mails, social networking sites and news through mobile broadband Internet.

Subscribers can enjoy the free data capacity every month with the new smartphone, launched in partnership with EMS. As part of a limited-time offer, the smartphone is now available at a discounted rate from the original price of Dh499 with the trade-in of an old phone.

Featuring a four-inch screen with WVGA 480 x 800 resolution and a five-megapixel main and front camera, the smartphone runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system with a Qualcomm Snagdragon 1.2GHz quad-core processor.

“[Saturday’s] announcement is in line with our organisational long-term strategy of bringing a smarter world through enabling mobilisation via the best technologies and devices in the market. It is not just the best service that we offer but our vast range of offerings that draw customers to etisalat,” said Khaled El Khouly, chief marketing officer of etisalat UAE.

“Besides being a leader in introducing new smartphones to the UAE market, we are also committed to providing devices at great value to our customers. We would like to offer our customers more value for less with this opportunity to upgrade and enjoy the benefits of our 3G network. Not only will we recycle their old, out of date technology but we are reducing the cost of owning the very latest phones with the most advanced applications for communication and entertainment.”

The unique offer is in line with etisalat’s long-term strategy of offering attractive packages for smartphone users. Customers are able to take advantage of the widest network offered by etisalat through its 3G network, which covers 99.98 per cent of the country.

“[This] partnership with etisalat will help us engage and reach out to the wide subscriber base as well as utilise the advanced mobile network. ‘be’, as a smartphone brand, has the vision of being competitive as well as extremely affordable offering products with state-of-the-art features and a premium finish. The smartphones are backed by a strong after sales support service. Additionally, EMS is offering an International Warranty with all the ‘be’ smartphones,” EMS chief executivei officer Babar Khan said.

The b-social4 smartphones are available from etisalat’s business centres, outlets, franchisees, key retailers and independent retailers.