Dubai: Internet users in the UAE have been able to access Skype on both etisalat and du networks.
Reports about the website, which offers cheap phone calls over the internet and is blocked in the UAE, have been growing on social media sites since Thursday.
It has yet to be determined whether this is due to a change in policy from the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) or an inadvertent lifting of the block. Previously, the TRA has stated that only licensed telecoms could offer internet callings or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoiP) in the UAE.
Both the telcom operators were not available to comment at the time of going to the press.
No change
The same thing happened on March 20 when some du customers were able to access the website and make phone calls, but later du said in a statement that there has been no change in the treatment of Voice over Internet Protocol.
Saleh Abdullah Al Abdouli, CEO of etisalat UAE, told Gulf News on March 1, 2013, “We are working on a business plan to open it in the UAE. It is only a matter of time. Of course we have to work with TRA to offer a good package.” But he did not say when it will be launched.
Both the telco operators have launched VoIP calling cards in the UAE.
Microsoft, which owns Skype, has recently been urging users to switch to Skype as soon as possible, since it is ending its Windows Live Messenger in certain parts of the world on April 8.
