Careem passengers in the UAE can give their mobile data plans a rest with free unlimited Wi-Fi in all Careem cars beginning in mid-July.

The service is being provided through a partnership with Etisalat, the UAE’s biggest telecom operator, and Dubai media tech company Snapit Digital.

“This agreement is another vital step forward in making Careem one of the safest and trusted online platforms in the region,” Adib Samara, head of business development at Careem, said.

The Dubai ride-hailing app’s foray into free internet access comes on the back of Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s taxi companies rolling out the offering over the last few years. Abu Dhabi taxi company TransAD introduced free Wi-fi in partnership with Etisalat in all of its taxis beginning in November 2016, while Dubai’s fleet of 10,800 taxis is in the midst of a phased rollout of the service in collaboration with telecom provider du. Free Wi-Fi was also introduced in 500 Dubai Airport taxis in December 2016, with another 700 added in 2017.

Customers who are connected to the Careem mobile app can access Wi-Fi after watching brief commercials and logging in with their mobile number and a one-time password. User information will not be shared with any third party and log-in is secured, Careem said.

Earlier this month, Uber cleared the first regulatory hurdle of its $3.1 billion acquisition of Careem as the UAE Minister of Economy granted full approval of the deal. The UAE is the first country where Careem operates to provide the go-ahead.

Both Careem and Uber continue to work with the relevant anti-trust authorities to get remaining approvals across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan to finalise the acquisition.