Etisalat offers BlackBerry through payments

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Etisalat has launched an instalment payment scheme through which budding mobility users can buy RIM BlackBerry smartphones over a period of one or two years.

Priced from AED32 per month, the scheme covers all the BlackBerry models currently offered by Etisalat, including the 8800, the Arabised 8700 and the new Curve 8300, and customers can choose from one of three BlackBerry connectivity packages.

Etisalat is thought to be the first provider in the region to offer BlackBerry devices for sale in this way. "The BlackBerry solution exclusively from Etisalat has revolutionised business mobility and connectivity in the UAE," Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat's chief marketing officer has already claimed. "With packages for both business and individual customers, this solution enables customers to access their e-mails wherever they are, and also access the internet, all from the convenience of their handheld device."

According to Etisalat's service launch information, published on its Etisalat.ae website this week, customers who opt for the 12-month plan can pay 75% of a device's value in 12 equal installments, with 25% of the value as a down payment. Those who select the 24-month plan meanwhile will pay 50% of the device value up-front, and the remaining 50% in 24 equal installments.

However, an Etisalat customer service operative questioned by Windows Middle East today explained the service differently, claiming that no down payment was in fact required and adding that the following acquisition models were being employed:



BlackBerry Curve 8300 example

Handset purchase price (without connection service sign-up): AED2090

Handset purchase price (with connection service sign-up): AED1880

Instalments paid over 12 or 24 months apply only when accompanied by a service subscription:

AED523 (paid every quarter), OR AED131 (paid every month). No down-payments required.

The installment scheme covers only the cost of the device, and does not apply to the three available connection packages, which are billed separately on a monthly basis (these range from AED130 per month for a Limited Domestic connection (3Mbyte limit), with Unlimited Domestic at AED185, and AED295 for Unlimited Global).

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