Dubai: UAE may finally lift its ban on popular messaging app WhatsApp voice call, a senior official said on Wednesday.
With its increased collaboration with WhatsApp, UAE will soon lift the ban on voice call said Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, executive director of the UAE’s National Electronic Security Authority (Nesa), Khaleej Times reports.
“The collaboration now happening with WhatsApp has
increased and we are working on many aspects. (We are) collaborating here in
the UAE and in many of those (aspect) we saw a very good understanding of the
concept. There might be a lift of that ban for (WhatsApp) voice calls or
broadcasting of many of the things that they do,” Al Kuwaiti told in an
interview.
“And this is going to happen soon. This is what we know and understand
from the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) here in the UAE,” he
added.
Over the past several years, UAE has blocked Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls forcing its residents to use the locally authorized VoiP apps such as Botim, C’Me and HiU Messenger.
Earlier, UAE businessmen Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman, Al Hatboor Group has urged the authorities to lift the ban by opening the voice calls service through Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp.