UAE's leading telecom services operator Etisalat said it has started upgrading its customers from 2G to 3G service with the launch of the first UAE smartphone for Dh299 ($81.4) with free monthly 100MB data capacity for 6 months.

This latest offer will enable both post-paid and prepaid Etisalat customers avail of the opportunity to trade-in and upgrade from their old and slow 2G handsets to enjoy the latest 3G technology connecting their emails, social networking sites and news through mobile broadband internet, said the company in a statement.

Subscribers will get to 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 on trade-in of old phone.

Featuring a 4-inch screen with WVGA 480 X 800 resolution and a 5 MP back and front camera, the smartphone runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, with a Qualcomm 1.2 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon processor.

Khaled El Khouly, the chief marketing officer, Etisalat (UAE) said: "Today’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."

"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," he added.

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, said the statement.

Babar Khan, the chief executive of EMS, said: "Today’s 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.”

The ‘b-social4’ smartphones are available from Etisalat’s business centres, outlets, franchisees, key retailers and independent retailers.-TradeArabia News Service