There has been many complaints over the weekend from the UAE residents about signal interruptions when using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps. However, this error didn’t turn out to be temporary and it’s not due to network latency that might accompany holidays. It was just confirmed by both telecoms in the UAE; Etisalat and Du, that unlicensed VoIP apps such as Skype are officially blocked in the country. This means that residents in the UAE will have to look into other licensed VoIP application alternatives, a website like voiptoners.com compares 10 different VoIP software packages so you don’t have to.
For a country as diverse as the UAE populated with expats from all over the world, VoIP apps such as Skype, Whatsapp, Viber and Facetime are very essential to communicate with friends and family abroad. Not just that the ban will make communicating with people overseas hard, but it will also make it more difficult to communicate for business matters. The country is also a pool investments and businesses and such a ban slows down the communication process that relied heavily on the use of such apps.
The news have been confirmed on Twitter by Skype as well, not just the Telecom companies. Due to the confirmation of all the involved parties, people started freaking out. If you’re worried about contacting your friends and family abroad though, don’t fret! Etisalat has also announced its new similar services; BOTIM and C’Me. However, unlike Skype and its likes, these apps are licensed and comply with the UAE’s Telecommunication Regulations. Unfortunately, these come at a cost. Etisalat will charge a monthly fee starting from 50 AED.
Unfortunately, it's true. Check out this help page for more information. https://t.co/zbi13C1w55
— Skype (@Skype) December 28, 2017