Abu Dhabi, UAE (Web Desk): WhatsApp and Facebook’s voice and video calling features have been unblocked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Wednesday night, local media reported on Thursday.
The feature has been blocked by the Telecoms Regulation Authority (TRA) in the county since it was launched in November last year, in line with a similar block on other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers.
That is until now. Reports came in thick and fast online this morning that the service now appears to be unblocked within the UAE.
Authorities are yet to confirm the new development.
The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said no changes have been made to their policy about communications through internet protocol.
According to a TRA statement, "VoIP services are still a prerogative of the licensed providers who reserve the right to provide such services through their networks. Companies wishing to offer such services must coordinate with the licensed telecom providers in the UAE."
Video calling on WhatsApp, Snapchat and Facebook has previously been inaccessible in the UAE as the law prohibits the use of external VoIP providers.