UAE mobile market to hit Dh7 billion in 2016

The mobile phone market in the UAE is valued at around Dh6.8 billion and will grow by three per cent to Dh7 billion in 2016, according to Fast Telecom Group founder Ali Salem.

The UAE witnessed around 800,000 mobile phone sales every month and more than 80 per cent of them are smartphones, Salem informed.

Established in 2002, Fast Telecom operates eight outlets to distribute devices in the UAE and has 12 offices in Arab countries.

"The UAE smartphone market is supported by several factors that contribute to continued growth. The use of more than one device per user, the local culture of replacement and users shifting from traditional phones to smartphones as prices have dropped to reasonable levels are the main reasons," Salem said. He said the UAE is an ideal platform to launch state-of-the-art devices and a global hub to launch new brands and distribute devices in the Gulf and regional markets. He cited the competition between etisalat and du as both telecom operators keep offering packages of free data and calls for customers who buy a selected smartphone, thus encouraging users to buy devices without downpayments and benefit from packages of data and calls. The group is also the agent of 21 brands covering most smartphones and famous devices around the world. "We plan to expand our distribution network with telecom operators in Gulf countries and the region. We began with signing an agreement with Emirates Telecommunications nine months ago, in addition to strengthening our partnerships with other players such as Omantel and Zain in the region," he informed.

Fast Telecom will soon start distributing tablet devices in schools and the higher education sector through signing agreements that ensure the supply of devices for smart education initiatives in schools and universities in the UAE.