Apple's iPhone 5 has become the most commonly-used smartphone in the UAE replacing Samsung S3, according to a new report released by the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

The TRA report said between July 1 and September 30, 2013, 46 per cent of handsets registered on the UAE’s networks were smartphones, a figure that has increased during each quarter in 2013.

In terms of smartphone models, the iPhone 5 was the most commonly used smartphone in the UAE with 2.8 per cent of the total handsets registered on UAE networks, stated the report which revealed the market share of mobile phones in the UAE by manufacturer and model.

According to TRA, the Samsung SIII was the second most popular smartphone with 2.5 per cent of the market share, followed by iPhone 4S (2.3 per cent), iPhone 4 and BlackBerry 9900 (both 1.8 per cent); Samsung S4 (1.6 per cent); Galaxy S Duos (1.2); BlackBerry Bold 9790 (1.1 per cent) and BlackBerry Bold 9780 (1.0 per cent).

The report said that 56.2 per cent of all handsets registered on UAE networks were manufactured by Nokia followed by Samsung (16.4 per cent), BlackBerry (10.2 per cent) and Apple (7.8 per cent); LG (1 per cent); Sony (0.9 per cent); Huawei (0.5 per cent) and HTC (0.6 per cent).

Unlike Nokia and Blackberry, Samsung and Apple recorded increases in their market shares in the third quarter, the TRA report added.  

In terms of specific handset models, the Nokia 101/1010 (with a 4.1 per cent jump) was the most popular mobile handset in UAE in the third quarter surpassing the Nokia 1280/1282 which was the most popular in the previous quarter, according to the report.

In the third quarter, the Nokia 1280/1282 (3.7 per cent) was the second most popular handset followed by both the Nokia X1 and Nokia E5 (3.0 per cent); iPhone 5 (2.8 per cent); Samsung S III (2.5 per cent); iPhone 4S (2.3 per cent); the iPhone 4 and BlackBerry Bold 9900 (both 1.8 per cent); Samsung S4 (1.6); Galaxy S Duos (1.2 per cent); BlackBerry Bold 9790 (1.1 per cent) and BlackBerry Bold 9780 (1.0 per cent).

On the apps scenario, TRA said from July 1 to September 30, users of smartphones and fixed Internet services in the emirates visited a record 1.5 billion times for downloading of various applications from websites.  

Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Nokia OVI; Samsung Apps; Blackberry App World and Android Applications, the regulator stated.

In terms of social media, UAE smartphone and fixed Internet users made 13.7 billion visits to various social networking websites during the period. Facebook dominated the social media scene accounting for 91 per cent of total visits followed by Twitter with 8 per cent, Maktoob with 0.1 per cent, then LinkedIn and MySpace, revealed the report.

Commenting on the findings, Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, the TRA director general, said, "The report provides results that will be of interest both to the public and, crucially, the manufacturers who supply the communications technology our nation has come to depend on."

"Providing very distinct analysis of consumer adoption, the research reflects the nation’s dynamic ecosystem in which both feature phones and smartphones are driving sustained telecommunications sector growth," he remarked.

This report, said Al Ghanim, falls in line with the TRA’s continuous effort to inform the public regarding the current state of the telecommunications sector and monitor its development going forward.

"Creating open and clear channels of communication with the public through research is a core objective of the TRA as we recognize the significance of their involvement. Statistical research such as this provides invaluable market insight and it is for that reason we will continue to conduct similar projects long into the future,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service