Etisalat has launched multimedia messaging services (MMS) in the UAE, making it one of four telecom operators in the Middle East to do so.

Initially available only within the UAE, Etisalat expects to offer MMS on a roaming basis shortly. This will allow messages to be sent to other networks provided they are MMS compatible, said Mohammed Al Fahim, executive vice-president of marketing.

MMS allows pictures and video clips to be sent through mobile phones and even to e-mail addresses, and is the natural successor to the text-based short messaging service (SMS).

Registration for the service costs Dh30. But an offer running until September 15 allows registration for Dh15 and MMS messages to be sent free of charge. Afterwards, the charge per MMS will be 90 fils for up to 50KB of data.

What you can get:
* Free service till September 15
* Each MMS message with a 50kb capacity to cost 90 fils
* For registration send SMS to Etisalat or call its interactive voice response service