The global COVID-19 crisis has pretty much reverberated in every aspect of life around the world in one way or another. One thing most companies and governments have really started to re-evaluate and kick into full throttle is remote working. Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which includes Emirates such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, can be challenging as the government has placed restrictions on the use of certain VoIP services. uae voip

A new decision in the United Arab Emirates comes as a great example. Officials there have decided to lift bans on Google Hangouts Meet, Cisco Webex, Avaya Spaces, BlueJeans and Slack. All services are previously officially unreachable from within the country. uae voip

The connection between these is clear and this decision comes hot on the heels of another wave of VoIP restriction lifts within the country from last week. That one made Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom and Blackboard available. The more specific catalyst behind the measures seems to be the country’s decision to restrict the movement of people between 8mp and 6am, until April 5, as it undertakes a massive public cleaning program.

Naturally, these measures are meant to facilitate and promote working from home. The United Arab Emirates has a rather unique, bustling economy. Many of its residents are actually expatriates and with so much foreign involvement in business, it is pretty natural for many to largely rely on remote working solutions already.

There are some legal VoIP services that can be used in the UAE, such as Botim and C’Me, which are licensed by the TRA. These services require users to pay a subscription fee, but they allow users to make voice and video calls over the Internet.

In addition, some hotel and airport Wi-Fi networks may allow the use of certain VoIP services, so it’s always worth checking with the network provider before attempting to use these services.

It’s important to be aware that violating the UAE’s VoIP regulations can result in significant fines or even imprisonment, so it’s advisable to only use legal VoIP services in the country.

UAE has a unique bustling economy, and it has also welcomed much foreign investment. The government was left with no choice but to open the services for people to help them stay connected; however, one question still remains unanswered, for how long these platforms will remain operational in UAE?  uae voip

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