The UAE’s two telecom operators — etisalat and du — will begin to accept pre-orders for Apple’s latest iPhone 5 on Sunday.
This is expected to trigger a mad scramble not just for the device itself, but also for the bundle offers the telcos have in store for their customers.
In a statement on Friday, etisalat said that beginning Sunday, clients can pre-book their units on its website — www.etisalat.ae/iphone — with their choice of pre-paid or post-paid plans.
“The new iPhone 5 has been much awaited across the region and we understand the enthusiasm of our customers to own a piece of the action,” etisalat chief marketing officer Khaled ElKhouly said in the statement.
For both pre-paid and post-paid options, etisalat will be offering the iPhone 5 at Dh2,749 for the 16GB model, Dh3,149 for 32GB and Dh3,549 for 64GB.
Compared with the prices on a major retailer’s website, etisalat and du rates are significantly lower. On Friday evening, Sharaf DG’s website showed prices of Dh3,989, Dh5,999 and Dh6,999 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, respectively. Jackys Electronics chief operating officer Ashish Panjabi, in a text message to Khaleej Times, said that “iPhone 5 prices will be identical to those that are coming from etisalat and du.”
However, iPhone 5 devices being offered on deal website Souq.com are lower than those of the telcos, with prices of Dh2,900, Dh3,399 and Dh4,244 for the three models, respectively.
“We assure customers that the features of the iPhone 5, combined with etisalat’s wide 3G network in the UAE, will provide an exceptional user experience,” added etisalat’s ElKhouly, who also confirmed that the telco will be making the device available in the UAE on December 13.
Khaleej Times tried to get the specifics on etisalat’s bundle offers as well as its installment options, but a senior official from its media office said this could be provided in a day.
On the other hand, Farid Faraidooni, du’s chief commercial officer, said on his Twitter account late on Friday afternoon that the telco will also start accepting pre-orders on Sunday.
“du will start iPhone 5 booking on Sunday via website & shops. 16GB for Dh2,749, 32GB for Dh3,199 and 64GB for Dh3,599,” he tweeted.
Du was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a PR representative said that the telco may have an official announcement on its plans today.
Source: Khaleej Times (Dubai).
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