The UAE is notoriously known for not allowing citizens to make use of the call feature on apps like Skype, WhatsApp Viber, Tango and more. Due to security reasons, UAE is one of the very few countries that doesn’t endorse this particular feature. But this might soon be changing. From what we hear, Emirati academic and art collector Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi recently suggested that the internet call ban in the UAE be lifted.
What’s It?
With the sudden outbreak of Coronavirus in the UAE, schools and colleges have considered remote learning in order to continue education, despite the sudden break. Lifting the ban on Skype and voice over internet (VoIP) services would make this process easier, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi mentioned.
I highly recommend that the UAE now re-visits its ban on VOIP video calls in light of the spread of Coronavirus. If we want people not to meet in person let them conduct their business online. The benefit to the entire economy outweighs the benefit to a single firm (etisalat)
— سلطان سعود القاسمي (@SultanAlQassemi) March 4, 2020
“I highly recommend that the UAE now re-visits its ban on VoIP video calls in light of the spread of coronavirus,” he wrote on Twitter, where he has almost 500,000 followers.
“If we want people not to meet in person let them conduct their business online. The benefit to the entire economy outweighs the benefit to a single firm (Etisalat).
“No remote working, no distance learning, no telemedicine without VoIP. It’s actually a matter of how soon we will lift – rather than if we will lift – the VoIP restrictions in the UAE. The sooner we do so the sooner we can minimise the effects on the economy,” he said.
Was thinking the same just yesterday. No way people can working remotely with this restriction in place. Schools aren’t even prepared for real-time teaching.
— Kelli Law (@limitlesskelli) March 4, 2020