Posted October 14, 2012 by Rapid John in News

Students in the United Arab Emirates Vote BlackBerry top of class

Students based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a clear preference for BlackBerry smartphones, a new survey claims.

An extensive and varied sample of university-goers from across the UAE were quizzed on their smartphone purchasing habits, with 65 per cent revealing that they opted for a BlackBerry device in the past year.

Sixteen per cent chose Apple, while 11% turned to Nokia for their mobility needs.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 proved the most popular device (22.58%), followed by Bold 9790 (19.35%) and Torch 9860 (12.90%).

Another of the survey’s key observations was the fact that 88 per cent purchased mobile phone in the past year. Looking ahead, 44 per cent are expected to replace their device within the next six months and 29 per cent within the next six to 12 months. 5 per cent aim to stick with their smartphones for the foreseeable future.

Topping the smartphone wish-list are BlackBerry’s next Bold incarnation (26%) and Apple’s iPhone5 (24%).

“The findings are extremely encouraging,” said Faisal Al Bannai, CEO, Axiom Telecom, which released the survey

“UAE students are among the most connected in the world and it seems that, at least of the time being, BlackBerry it ticking all the right boxes on campus.”

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