Etisalat UAE announced on 10 November that it was selling four Meta AI glasses models from Dh1,160 ($316), becoming the first telecom operator in the Middle East and North Africa to offer the range, tbreak reported. Customers can buy the glasses in Etisalat stores and pay through its SmartPay instalment plan rather than paying the full price at once.
Key points
- Etisalat UAE began selling four Meta AI glasses models on 10 November, starting at Dh1,160 ($316).
- SmartPay offers terms of 12, 18 or 24 months, with monthly payments starting at Dh55 ($15).
- Meta accounted for 94% of display-less AI glasses shipments in the first half of 2026, according to tbreak.
SmartPay spreads the cost over 24 months
SmartPay lets buyers spread the hardware cost over 12, 18 or 24 months. Payments begin at Dh55 ($15) a month, while the starting purchase price is Dh1,160 ($316). Etisalat says it is the only UAE operator offering all three payment periods for the glasses, according to tbreak. The instalment offer makes Etisalat both a retail outlet for the devices and the provider of their payment plan.
The purchase price and monthly starting payment describe different parts of the offer. Buyers can choose among three repayment periods, but the Dh55 figure is the entry point for monthly payments, not a stated monthly price for every model or term. The glasses are available through Etisalat stores, where the operator already sells smartwatches and smart rings alongside phones, tablets and other consumer devices.
Dr Tamer Eltoni, SVP at etisalat UAE, said the company was offering the glasses with “flexible SmartPay options that make adoption simpler”. The statement puts the payment terms at the centre of Etisalat’s pitch to buyers. Customers pair the glasses with phones and devices they already use, tbreak reported.
Meta and EssilorLuxottica supply four models
The range comprises Meta Glasses, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Oakley Meta HSTN. The glasses are made with EssilorLuxottica, the owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley. Etisalat’s offer therefore covers more than one eyewear brand and model under the same retail and instalment arrangement.
The devices allow hands-free interaction with AI and real-time audio translation, Telecompaper reported. Buyers can also use the glasses for calls, photos, video and audio, according to tbreak. Those functions place the AI features alongside uses already familiar from phones, while the glasses can be operated without reaching for a handset.
Etisalat’s announcement adds a telecom retailer to Meta’s UAE consumer distribution. For Etisalat, the sale extends an existing device range into AI eyewear. The commercial offer is the sale of glasses through stores, backed by SmartPay terms of up to 24 months.
Meta held 94% of display-less shipments
Meta accounted for 94% of display-less AI glasses shipments in the first half of 2026, while the UAE accounted for 2% of that market, according to tbreak. The figures describe shipments across the product category and the UAE’s share of that market, rather than sales through Etisalat.
Global AI glasses shipments rose 263% in the first half of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research figures previously reported by AI Affairs. Etisalat’s offer puts Meta’s glasses in UAE telecom stores as that wider category expands. Its customers can choose among the four models and pay in full or use one of the three SmartPay periods.
