If speculation about the lifting of the WhatsApp ban materializes in the UAE, this opening will have a significant impact and will immediately remove other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications offered by telecom operators Etisalat and.
Mohammad Al Kuwaiti, executive director of the UAE's National Electronic Security Authority, said in an interview with CNBC that talks had been held with WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned company, about national security initiatives.
"This ban could be lifted for WhatsApp and it will happen soon, which is what we know and understand from the UAE Telecommunications Authority (TRA)," he said. .
Sukhdev Singh, CEO of research and consulting services provider Kantar, told LaComparacion Middle East that the opening of WhatApp means that it is easy to call anyone around the world because the subscriber base is huge.
Despite the fact that WhatApp is charged a monthly subscription, similar to that of other VoIP applications such as Botim, YzerChat, HiU Messenger and C & # 39; Me Telecom Operators in UAE, said that many people would switch to WhatApp as other VoIP applications like this (WhatsApp) are easily available on any phone and it is a free platform commonly used around the world.
Etisalat and both offer a monthly subscription of 50 Dh for mobile users for VoIP applications and 100 Dh for home users with WiFi.
For Botim, YzerChat, HiU Messenger, and C'Me to work, the other end of the line must have the same app as well.
According to the TRA Policy on IP Telephony 2015, it can only be provided by authorized telecommunications operators.
Safety Raises Concerns
Earlier, distinguished businessmen, FNC members and government officials, including Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman of the Al Habtoor group, urged authorities to open VoIP applications, with the UAE seeking to become the number one country. in all areas, including the telecommunications sector.
Outside of the UAE, other VoIP apps, including free ones, are rarely used because they use Apple's Face Time, Google Duo, and Microsoft's Skype, which offer superior clarity, quality, and encryption.
"The UAE has done a lot to prevent VoIP and telecom operators from going to great lengths to combat illegal use. The quality of Botim, YzerChat, HiU Messenger and C'Me is not that high compared to WhatsApp, which has state-of-the-art technology and secure encryption, as well as with Facebook. Trust in WhatsApp is very high, "he said.
The UAE is one of the few countries in the region where WhatsApp voice and video calls are prohibited. Saudi Arabia and many other countries in the region lifted the ban on Skype and WhatsApp a few years ago.
One of the reasons given for banning UAE chat apps is related to security because it is end-to-end encrypted and difficult for the government to control.
When contacted, the TRA declined to comment.
You could see a Facebook server in the UAE
To give governments a view of the data and information that travels through WhatsApp from a security point of view, Singh said that Facebook could be asked to install a server in the United Arab Emirates, similar to what it happened to BlackBerry.
In 2010, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked BlackBerry to install servers that allow regulators to monitor BlackBerry Messenger and the encryption key to decrypt emails, messages and browsing. Web on BlackBerry mobile phones.
"If the UAE does this and Facebook installs the server in the UAE, it could affect other Gulf countries as well," Singh said.
"I would not be surprised if the UAE negotiates and is successful, other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, could. Eventually, Apple's Face Time and Microsoft's Skype will be open," he said.
Also, regarding the adoption of technology, security and security practices, he said that the United Arab Emirates is still in the forefront and that many other Gulf countries are mimicking what the United States is doing. .AU.
By opening WhatsApp, Face Time and Skype in the UAE, he said that telecom operators would make more money as voice revenues fell dramatically and telos could monetize data, as apps could. be used only via data or WiFi. The types of restrictions will only stimulate the economy.