etisalat Brings Meta's AI Glasses to UAE Stores From AED 1,160

By Amara Osei

etisalat UAE is now selling Meta's AI eyewear in its stores, starting at AED 1,160 outright, and claims it is the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa to carry the devices. The UAE has become one of the first markets in the region where a customer can walk into a telecom store and leave with a pair of Meta's AI glasses.

What exactly is etisalat offering?

The lineup covers four products: the Meta Glasses, the second- and third-generation Ray-Ban Meta frames, and the sport-focused Oakley Meta HSTN. An outright purchase starts at AED 1,160. etisalat also offers instalment plans over 12, 18 or 24 months starting at AED 55 per month, and says no other operator offers those terms.

The telco gave no breakdown of prices by model, so the cost of the newer Ray-Ban generation or the Oakley HSTN above the AED 1,160 entry point remains unknown.

Why does carrier financing matter for smart glasses?

Smart glasses have struggled to move past early adopters for most of the last decade, partly because few people know what the devices are for until they have worn a pair. Meta and EssilorLuxottica took their first step with Ray-Ban Stories in 2021, a camera-and-audio product that drew more privacy questions than buyers.

Later generations with Meta AI built in fared better, and the pitch shifted away from taking photos without a phone toward having a voice assistant accessible while your hands are busy. Putting AI glasses on the same instalment plans as smartphones treats them as an everyday purchase rather than a curiosity — though financing alone has never fixed the category's demand problem.

What can the glasses actually do?

The devices take voice commands for AI queries, translate speech in real time through built-in speakers, and handle everyday tasks without the user reaching for a handset. The design principle is that they should look like normal sunglasses or prescription frames first and gadgets second; the Ray-Ban and Oakley branding is how Meta and EssilorLuxottica pursue that goal.

What was not announced?

Two gaps stand out. etisalat did not say which Meta AI features work fully in the UAE. The announcement also does not clarify whether translation covers Arabic. Both questions would weigh heavily on any purchase decision in this market, and neither has a public answer yet.

What does the move signal for telcos?

For etisalat, the launch fits a wider trend among telcos of selling wearables and connected accessories alongside phones, partly to make device catalogues more valuable. Carrier distribution makes the glasses easier to buy.

Whether UAE buyers want to talk to an assistant built into their sunglasses, and whether they find the devices useful enough to keep wearing, remains open.