Etisalat Starts Selling Meta's AI Glasses in the UAE, Claiming a Regional Telco First

The range covers the standard Meta Glasses, the second- and third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses and the Oakley Meta HSTN performance frames. Depending on the model, the glasses can translate speech in real time across a number of languages, answer search queries, offer recommendations, handle hands-free calls, take photos, record video and play audio.

Etisalat said it is the first telecoms operator in the Middle East and North Africa to sell the glasses. The deal lets the operator sell connected hardware beyond phones, since it already offers smartwatches and smart rings. For Meta it adds a carrier sales channel in a market where Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been sold through Ray-Ban and partner stores since their UAE launch in May 2025, according to Arab News.

"AI wearables are opening up a new way for people to interact with technology, making access more immediate, intuitive and hands-free," said Tamer Eltoni, senior vice president at Etisalat UAE. He described the launch as "another step in expanding Etisalat UAE's device portfolio around how people progressively want to live, work, create and stay connected".

Etisalat's starting price is the same as the one Meta set when it opened UAE orders for its own Meta Glasses brand in September, after its Meta Connect 2026 event. At that time Gulf News reported that the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 started at Dh1,960. The Gen 3 has a slimmer design, an action button for faster access to Meta AI and the longest battery life of any Ray-Ban Meta model.

Privacy remains an issue for camera-equipped eyewear in the country. Meta has said privacy protections are built into its glasses and that it will keep strengthening them. A white LED blinks when the wearer takes a photo or records video. As The National noted, owning smart glasses is legal in the UAE, but using their recording features without consent can bring penalties.

Etisalat, part of the e& group, is pushing for AI-led growth. It has launched a project to expand digital infrastructure capacity in the UAE and abroad, and recently introduced a commercial service that it says triples upload speeds to smartphones, presented as part of the UAE's preparations for 6G mobile networks.

The products Etisalat sells will depend on what Meta releases locally. At Connect, Meta said it plans to bring Muse, its personal AI agent, to its glasses. But it gave no UAE dates for Muse's video avatar feature, its audio-focused Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses or the Meta Ray-Ban Display model, which is expanding in Europe and Canada.