Etisalat launches new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone in UAE
Etisalat announced the launch of the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone in the United Arab Emirates. Etisalat is in line with the earliest worldwide launch date. The device is attractively priced, and offered at 50% discount on a 12-month contract basis with Etisalat’s two new BlackBerry packages.
It is available at all Etisalat’s Service Centers and Outlets across the UAE and at any of Etisalat’s key retailers, including Aptec, Jumbo, Jacky’s Lulu, E-City, Virgin and Plug-Ins.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet at only 10.5mm, and the first to offer the perfect union of a high performance keyboard and touch display integrated within the iconic BlackBerry Bold design. Distinguished by its beautiful design, amazingly effective keyboard and brilliant touch display, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is crafted with premium materials including a brushed stainless steel frame that puts the finishing touch on a truly outstanding smartphone.
Matthew Willsher, Chief Marketing Officer at Etisalat, said, “We’ve established a strong reputation in the marketplace for bringing the latest BlackBerry products to our customers in the UAE, at outstanding prices. In partnership with RIM, we are proud to be introducing yet another fantastic BlackBerry device that our customers can enjoy on Etisalat’s first-class nation-wide network and international roaming partners in more than 190 countries. With its iconic Bold form factor, touch screen and powerful new operating system, we are certain that this new smartphone will appeal to our business and consumer segments alike.”
Customers can subscribe to one of the two new and affordable BlackBerry Packages. BlackBerry ‘Basic’ provides customers with 200MB of BlackBerry usage with access to a single email account and Internet speed of up to 7.2 Mbps. BlackBerry ‘Premium’ provides customers with 1GB of BlackBerry usage and 5MB of roaming usage per month. With Internet access speed of 14.4 Mbps, this package supports streaming web sites such as You Tube. The BlackBerry ‘Premium’ package also allows users to configure up to 10 email accounts. Customers subscribed to the Blackberry Packages will enjoy accessing their Facebook, Twitter and other social networking apps, download apps, content, games from App World, chat with BBM and other Instant Messaging applications.
Postpaid customers can receive the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 at half price, on a 12-month contract basis with any one of the two new packages. Alternatively, Etisalat’s MyPlan and MyBusiness Plan customers can purchase the device with a 12-month contract with the MyPlan ‘Ultra’ package.
Customers can subscribe to the new BlackBerry ‘Basic’ or ‘Premium’ packages by sending an SMS – ‘B99′ to 1010 for BlackBerry Basic, and ‘B149′ to 1010 for BlackBerry Premium. Alternatively, they can call 800 77 666 or visit any of Etisalat’s Business Centers and Outlets.
Etisalat, through its smartphone business partner EMS, is also offering a BlackBerry device trade-up allowing customers to upgrade to the brand new BlackBerry Bold 9900. Customers can trade-in their old BlackBerry smartphones at Etisalat’s Mirdiff City Center Outlet and Deira Business Center in Dubai, and Marina Mall Outlet in Abu Dhabi. In exchange they will receive cash payment against the new BlackBerry Bold 9900.
Notes and media contacts
Next-Generation BlackBerry 7 OS:
RIM’s new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones also feature Liquid Graphics technology, with each smartphone combining a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.
In addition, BlackBerry 7 based smartphones continue the tradition of delivering the world’s best mobile communications experience with a highly refined and integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day. Recent enhancements include the newest release of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) which now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps (see separate announcement on July 28, 2011). The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time.
BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box. The Premium version of Documents To Go is now included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. BlackBerry Balance (announced May 2, 2011) is now integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls. And further, the popular universal search capability has been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.
For devices images and more details, visit the BlackBerry 7 Virtual Press Room at: www.rim.com/newsroom/blackberry7.
For further media information, please contact:
Iyad Al Zou’bi
Senior Manager International Media Relations
Etisalat
Tel: +971 2 6182622
Joumana El Tarabulsi
Media Relations Executive
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
PO Box 28063, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 3344550
Fax: +971 4 3344556
