UAE Eases Restrictions on Voice Calls to Facilitate Work at Home

Some services that make voice calls over the Internet, including Microsoft Skype for Business and Google Hangout, were introduced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help people work from home and prevent coronavirus spreading.

Applications allowed across all the country's networks are: Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Blackboard

Fixed Internet compliant applications are: Windows Skype for Business and Google Hangout

"The applications are available until further notice," the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in a statement said. "The regulator has said that the list of eligible applications will be checked on occasion."

Where 85 percent of the population are foreigners, the Gulf State blocks most applications that allow free voice calls over the Internet. For expatriates who want to stay in contact with family and friends back home and work remotely, the curbs have long been a concern.

It is worth mentioning that all educational institutions in the UAE have now been “prohibited” from exchanging any type of “paper materials” with their students, according to new guidelines issued by the educational regulators.

Disclosing this to Gulf News, the head of an educational group said on Wednesday morning that the guidelines, aimed at checking the spread of COVID-19, have to be implemented with immediate effect.