ABU DHABI // Viber, the popular smartphone app widely used all over the country to make free telephone calls, is not authorised to function in the UAE, Telecoms regulators said on Wednesday.
“We have recently seen local newspapers and social networks publishing news with regards to the Viber service being blocked in the UAE,” said an official from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. “We would like to clarify that the service was never licensed in the UAE.”
The TRA said Viber was not legislated by the two main telecoms providers in the UAE and was therefore against its policy regarding VoIP (voice over IP) services.
“The VoIP regulatory policy has only licensed Etisalat and du to provide telecommunication services in the UAE, including VoIP services. This policy still exists and has not been amended,” the TRA said.
Despite the TRA’s warning, many residents continue to use Viber’s full functionality.
Omar Sharif Al Ali, 32, owner of Geeky Lizard, a Dubai tabletop games shop, and a recent participant of a Google documentary on the effect of YouTube on television, said that Etisalat and du were the ones who would benefit from denying users access to VoIPs.
“From the users’ perspective, because Viber allows you to make free phone calls it’s preferable, but this is bad from a business standpoint, bad for Etisalat and du because it will cost the company money,” Mr Al Ali said.
“Imagine if everyone in the country used Viber and free calling, what would happen to these companies?” he said.
Mr Al Ali uses Viber to stay in contact with his friends in Russia and Bucharest, saying that in those countries the app was preferred to WhatsApp, a similar service.
Viber costs him nothing to stay in touch with his friends in Russia, whereas if he were to use Etisalat it would cost about Dh7 for a 10-minute conversation.
“This is a monopoly, when you control everything you win everything. Etisalat runs the country,” he said. “Why do you think they offer these great international calling plans, it’s because they are afraid of losing business.”
The TRA tweeted on Wednesday that Viber had never been licensed and therefore it could not be blocked.
Last year, the TRA issued a similar statement in response to the unauthorised use of Skype, saying that du and Etisalat “must seek approval to provide such service after fulfilling the regulatory and technical requirements of the TRA, which has not happened in the case of Skype”.
For years, Etisalat and du have said Skype was banned by the TRA, claiming that the VoIP was not licensed, according to the TRA.
The TRA, however, again denied that a ban ever existed.
But for those who are far from home, Viber is a free and easy way to stay in contact. Xavier de Guzman, who works for LLJ Properties, said he uses Viber any time he wants to get in contact with his friends and family in the Philippines.
“It’s what I use to message my mum, call my friends, it’s really great. I mean, it’s supposed to be blocked on my Samsung S5 but it is there and you can still get it no problem,” Mr De Guzman said.
According to its website, Viber has more than 100 million monthly users worldwide.
Ashraf Badawi, an engineering consultant for a German company, said that all his friends use it and he has been meaning to get around to using it himself.
“They mainly use it to call home in Egypt. They tell me it saves them a lot of money and they can call whenever they want. It keeps everyone together, it makes them feel closer to home,” Mr Badawi said.
Of the TRA’s statement, he said: “Hopefully I’ll still be able to get it. I don’t see what the problem is.”
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
