UAE TRA reveals data on market shares of mobile handsets, smartphones and mobile operating systems

According to the report, 50% of the handsets registered on networks in the UAE were manufactured by Nokia. This is followed by Blackberry (10.7%), Samsung (10.7%), Apple (8.4%) and Sony Ericsson (1.5%). The report also shows that the most commonly used mobile handset models are the Nokia 1280 with a 3.08% market share of all mobile handsets registered on networks in the UAE, followed by iPhone 4S (2.93%), Nokia X1-01 (2.9%), Nokia E5 (2.61%), iPhone 4 (2.58%) and the Samsung SIII (2.11%).

In terms of smartphones, iPhone 4S is the most popular smartphone in the UAE, followed by iPhone 4, Samsung SIII, iPhone 5, Blackberry Bold 9900 and Blackberry Bold 9780.

The study also showed that the most commonly used mobile handset operating system in the UAE is currently Symbian with 50% market share, followed by iOS (13.8%), Blackberry (10.7%) and Android (10.4%).

Commenting on the review, H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General, TRA said, "The report provides an interesting snapshot of the UAE's mobile handset market share which has very distinct characteristics in terms of consumer adoption. It also reflects a dynamic ecosystem in which both feature phones and smartphones are emerging as the future growth engines of the telecommunications industry."

"The TRA continuously monitors the telecommunications landscape in the UAE, and a core function of our role is to keep consumers informed about the state of the market; we view the public as genuine stakeholders in our mission to become one of the most advanced technology hubs in the world. Studies like this are therefore very valuable and it is our intention to continue to provide industry insights as much as possible," he added.