Nokia and Etisalat Partner to Boost Mobile Internet Services in UAE

Nokia and Etisalat have announced today a partnership meant to offer the latter's UAE mobile customers access to advanced mobile Internet-based services, in an attempt to enhance the adoption of such services in the Middle East. According to the two companies, the offer will include maps, navigation and games on Nokia devices, based on the Ovi service platform that the Finnish phone maker offers.

The first step of the partnership includes bringing Ovi Maps and N-Gage Games to Etisalat's UAE mobile customers, while allowing them to enjoy the services on Nokia phones via a convenient payment mechanism. It seems that users will be able to combine payments for mobile Internet services as Ovi Maps or the purchase of N-Gage games with their Etisalat account, which means that they can opt to have the payment directed to their account or pay with their credit cards.

The two companies also announced that the United Arab Emirates would have the services in the Q2 2009, and that this was only the first country in the Middle East and Africa that will benefit from them, as the cooperation between Nokia and Etisalat was expected to be further extended to other markets in the area where the carrier had operations.

“Etisalat is delighted to associate with Nokia to promote the next generation mobile Internet services in the Middle East. Etisalat strives to offer the best mobile experience to its customers, while providing them the benefits of convenience, coverage and value. Through this association, Etisalat customers will be able to enjoy advanced services like Mobile gaming and Ovi maps, on Etisalat's widespread and reliable network, that covers the whole UAE for 2G and 2.5 G and 99% of populated areas for 3.5G networks.” said Essa Al Haddad, chief marketing officer, Etisalat.

Etisalat subscribers who would like to benefit from Ovi will be offered access to Nokia services like maps, navigation, games, messaging and music, as well as the option to manage, sync and share personal files. According to Nokia, Ovi is meant to put together the online world, the mobile device and computer, while delivering an enhanced consumer experience.

“We are excited to be further promoting our good cooperation with Etisalat. As market leaders, this agreement allows us to combine great services with ease of accessibility to provide consumers with a seamless user experience. Nokia will continue to improve the way people discover and use our services through Ovi, as we continue to add new elements and services. Our focus is on building the best possible experiences and giving our consumers the choice to access them the way they choose,” said Urpo Karjalainen, senior vice president, Operator Sales, Nokia.