It looks like WhatsApp video and voice calls are now available in UAE, with a number of mobile phone users in Dubai confirming that they can now use the feature on the instant messaging app.
Users reported they could make the calls using du or Etisalat network within the UAE and abroad, including Canada, Philippines and Maldives.
“The voice and the video are both clear from my end,” said one expatriate in Dubai who stumbled upon the new feature on Thursday.
“What a surprise. I am so happy that I can now make free calls and video chats on Whatsapp. I thought this was banned in UAE. I hope the telecom operators will not discontinue this,” said Rachel, another expat from the Philippines.
There is no announcement yet from the UAE’s telecom authority regarding the activation of the VoIP-based free voice and video-calling feature on Whatsapp, but a customer service representative from du said people can now make calls using the mobile app.
“There won’t be any charge, as long as you have Internet connection. You might be able to do video calls, but you will get some interruption or error message. Voice calls have been activated since late last year,” the source told Gulf News.
Last November 2016, WhatsApp officially rolled out the video-calling service, but mobile phone users in UAE could not access the service due to regulatory compliance.
“Voice calls through WhatsApp are blocked in compliance with the UAE’s telecommunication regulations that allow VoIP services to be provided in the country only by licensed telecom operators,” du said in a statement last year.