Consumers across Middle East will soon be able to purchase content from the Nokia Ovi Store with billing directly to their Etisalat mobile phone account.

Etisalat subscribers will now have the choice to pay for any applications via their Etisalat account and the costs will be automatically accrued. The service will either be charged as part of the customer’s monthly bill for post paid accounts, or deducted from their pre-paid airtime credit.

“Consumers in the Middle East region are seeking a vibrant mobile experience that includes great hardware, software, local services and relevant content,” said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia.

“Through our partnership with Etisalat, we are extending our ecosystem to support the local applications and technologies that matter most to people in the region,” he added.

In addition to operator billing through Etisalat, consumers will continue to have the existing payment option via credit card. The operator billing will be available in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt during 2011 and the cooperation will be extended to other Etisalat operations in the Middle East and Africa region, a statement said.

Mohammed Omran, Etisalat chairman, said: “We are certainly delighted to partner with Nokia in driving the demand of high quality applications and technology. The growth in the applications industry and the readiness of today`s consumers to adopt new technologies is a ramp curve to pursue.”

“Etisalat is always committed to invest in leading technology with significant players and leaders in the industry. Partnering with Nokia given their industry expertise and their global know-how will aid Etisalat Group to continue our growth and reinforce our position as a technological leader in the global market place.”

The Ovi Store is a one stop shop where consumers can download mobile games, applications, videos, images and personalized content to their Nokia devices and Nokia smartphones. Over 35,000 items are now available for download by consumers, with over four million downloads a day globally with steady growth also in the Middle East region. – TradeArabia News Service