[June 18, 2013] Skype users In the uae won't go to jail [Gulf Business (United Arab Emirates)] Tweet (Gulf Business (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) UAE telecoms operator Etisalat recently announced that it would unblock Skype, the popular Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service in the UAE. "Etisalat Customers can now access the Skype website," the operator said in a single-line statement on Facebook. While residents have been able to access Skype via Etisalat's rival du, users subscribing to Etisalat's services had been unable to download it for a number of years. However, the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) confirmed that under its regulatory policy, only the licensees - Etisalat and du - are allowed to provide VoIP services in the UAE. So technically, Skype is still banned in the country. "In reality, all this move does is create confusion for many residents," stated Andrew Baul Lewis, director, Information and Communication Technologies Practice at Frost & Sullivan. "For those who have been using VoIP services for years, through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or more recently through mobile apps, it will mean almost no change at all. What they were doing was banned by the TRA, and it remains that way," he said. Last month, a local newspaper report quoted a senior TRA official as saying that users of Skype would violate "the amended Article 71 of the Telecommunications Act." Punishment includes imprisonment for up to two years and/or a fine ranging between Dhs50,000 and Dhs1million, it stated. The TRA immediately denied making any such statements. "Furthermore, there are number of factual inaccuracies; for instance, the provisions of article (71) do not apply in this case," it said. Log onto www.gulfbusiness.com to read the full story. MOST POPULAR 1. Top 10 Brands Lost In Translation 2. The Gulf Business 2013 Salary Survey 3. Qatar Airways Announces Major Route Expansions 4. Damac Develops Donald Trump Golf Course 5. Aston Martin, Bentley Join Dubai Police Fleet 6. Skype Users In The UAE Won't Go To Jail 7. Qantas CEO: Five Times More Customers With Emirates 8. IMG Group Announce Dinosaur Concept In Dubai 9. Samsung Galaxy S4 To Hit UAE Stores On April 27 10. Top 10 Marketing Disasters In The World (c) 2013 Motivate Publishing. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]