UAE operator Du has insisted it is open to offering voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services such as Skype and WhatsApp calling over its network, provided such services are offered in partnership with operators, The National reported citing a senior executive. Skype, which is available over fixed but not mobile internet connections in the UAE, abruptly stopped working completely a month ago in the UAE, with the service gradually coming back online a few days later.
Fahad Al Hassawi, Du’s chief commercial officer, told The National that the operator had no objection to allowing VoIP calling services over its network, but that formal agreements had to be signed between the networks and providers first. Al Hassawi said they have an open invitation to any provider, be it WhatsApp, Skype or whoever, to come and partner with the operator, and can come up with the right offering that falls within the licensing requirements here in the UAE.
The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said during June’s Skype outage that its policy on VoIP services was unchanged and that such services could only be provided by licensed telecoms operators. Skype for its part said that its website and services had been blocked by both du and Etisalat. The outage came days after WhatsApp voice and video calling briefly became available in the UAE after previously having been restricted, only for the service to disappear a day later. There were no responds from WhatsApp and Skype.