Telecommunications in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is under the control and supervision of theTelecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority which was established under UAE Federal Law by Decree No. 3 of 2003.[1] From 1976 to 2006 theEmirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) was the soletelephone andtelecommunications provider for theUAE.[2] And while there were exceptions for free zones and modern housing developments, for the majority of the UAE, Etisalat held amonopoly on business and personal telecommunications services. In February 2006, this monopoly became aduopoly when a new telephone company and Internet service provider (ISP),du, was established to offer mobile services across the UAE and Internet and TV services to some free zone areas. However, due to geographical distribution of service areas, the companies do not compete for customers and thus effectively operate as monopolies.[2] Earlierdu providedtriple play services to free zone areas under the name Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), which is still its legal name.
Radio has been around for more than 60 years in the UAE. Prior to the UAE's formation, the British Forces Broadcasting Services (BFBC) had a local FM radio studio here. It ran syndicated entertainment programmes and read news about the command to it garrisons stationed in the then Trucial States.[4]
In the late 1970s, UAE Radio started independent services. Channel 4 was the first commercial radio station, followed by Emirates Media Radio and the Arab Media Group. As of February 2014, independent radio stations in the UAE include 7 each in English and Hindi, 12 in Arabic, 4 Malayalam, and one each in Tamil, Tagalog, Russian andPersian.[5][6][7]
According toFreedom House, Internet in the United Arab Emirates is significantly restricted: online censorship is rampant, the Emirati government surveils online activists and journalists and uses increasingly sophisticated technology to spread disinformation that advances pro-UAE domestic and international narratives on social media, and social media users in the UAE are arrested and fined for online posts.[12]
The government bans websites that criticize it, as well aspornographic websites and those perceived as anti-Islamic or anti-government/anti-police.[13]
The United Arab Emirates censors the Internet usingSecure Computing's solution. The country's ISPsEtisalat anddu (telco) ban pornography, politically sensitive material and anything against the perceived moral values of the UAE. All or most VoIP services are blocked. BothWhatsApp andSnapchat calling functions were also blocked in the UAE, to comply with VoIP regulations.[14][15]
TRA[16] instructsEtisalat anddu to block parts ofWikipedia, allVoIP services such asSkype and SIP based services[17] and some social networking services likehi5,Friendster, and all dating sites likeYahoo! Personals andMatch.com.[18] A 2005 study, before du was established, also showed Etisalat sometimes block websites relating to theBaháʼí Faith.[19]
A common method of circumventinginternet censorship is by using VPN services. In March 2015, the Dubai Police declared the usage of VPN (virtual private network) illegal,[20] saying that "tampering with the internet is a crime". Although action may not be taken against an individual for simply using a VPN, the usage of VPN combined with other illegal acts would lead to additional charges.[21][22]
In March 2020, amid theCOVID-19 outbreak, the government ofUAE introduced a partial relaxation of the ban onVoIP services to ease communication during the lockdown. Popular instant messaging applications that remained blocked despite the removal of the ban on VoIP services includedWhatsApp,FaceTime, andSkype. The selective relaxation of the ban narrowed down the user’s choice to premium (paid) services, owned by state-run telecommunication firms.[23]
On 16 November 2007, Tecom stoppedbroadcast of two majorPakistanisatellite news channels, uplinked fromDubai Media City, which were initially marketed by Tecom under the tagline "Freedom to Create". TheDubai government ordered Tecom to shut down the popular independentPakistani news channelsGeo News andARY One World on the demand of Pakistan's military regime led by GeneralPervez Musharraf. This was implemented bydu Samacom, disabling theirSDI andASI streams. Later policymakers in Dubai permitted these channels to air their entertainment programs, but news, current affairs and political analysis were forbidden. Although subsequently the conditions were removed, marked differences have since been observed in their coverage. This incident has had a serious impact on all organizations in the media city, with Geo TV and ARY OneWorld considering relocation.[24][25][26]
