WhatsApp launches video calls for everyone – also in UAE?

Dubai - With its latest move, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp has, therefore, sent a message to Apple’s FaceTime and Skype that it is ready to take them on – on Android, iOS and Windows devices.

Instant messaging service WhatsApp today upped the ante and officially rolled out the much-awaited video-calling feature for everyone.
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With its latest move, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp has, therefore, sent a message to Apple’s FaceTime and Skype that it is ready to take them on – on Android, iOS and Windows devices.
“Today we’re excited to announce the next step in our efforts to connect people – WhatsApp video calling. In the coming days, WhatsApp’s more than one billion users can make video calls across Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone devices,” the app announced on its blog.
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WhatsApp says that it is “introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough”.
It adds that the service will be “available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks”.
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However, it must be noted that VoIP services, including video-calling, remain restricted in the UAE, with the TRA allowing only licensed providers to offer such services.
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According to the UAE’s Telecom Regulatory Authority, “VoIP services are still a prerogative of the licensed providers who reserve the right to provide such services through their networks. Companies wishing to offer such services must co-ordinate with the licensed telecom providers in the UAE.”