WhatsApp video, voice calls available in UAE

Dubai: WhatsApp video and voice calls went live in the UAE — quietly and no fanfare or official announcement — to the pleasant surprise of mobile phone users in the country.

Many confirmed to Gulf News they can now use the features on the popular instant messaging app when connected to mobile roaming or WiFi network.

Users reported they could place calls using du or Etisalat networks within the UAE and abroad. Gulf News confirmed that WhatApp voice and video calls are now working, though the clarity depends on data speed.

“The voice and the video are both clear from my end,” said one expatriate in Dubai who stumbled upon the new feature on Thursday.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on Thursday said in a statement "there is no change in the UAE's policy on voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services". 

The statement added: TRA reconfirms that any applications or services of this nature must be subject to the regulatory framework in force in the country."

Last November 2016, WhatsApp officially rolled out the video-calling service, but mobile phone users in UAE could not access the service due to regulatory compliance.