TRA Archive

2

Talks To Allow Skype in the UAE

By
Emiratweet
– December 14, 2010
Telecoms authorities in the UAE are working...

Telecoms authorities in the UAE are working on ways to make Skype available in the country, according to a statement by Mohamed Al Ghanim, Director-General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Al Ghanim was speaking at a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) forum organised by UAE operator du in Dubai. The event aimed at addressing and discussing key issues and trends in customer behaviour and expectations.

“Today the world is changing to IP. With regards to Internet telephony, only the telecom service providers in the UAE are licensed to offer VoIP services and they have started to provide these services already. This measure is set in place to protect telecom customers, as if a company is not registered with us, we cannot intervene or help should a problem arise. We have been working with Skype and other VoIP providers to see if their services could be established here in the UAE,” – Al Ghanim said

1

BlackBerry e-government deal with TRA

By
Emiratweet
– October 19, 2010
Guess What? Canadian firm Research In Motion...

Guess What? Canadian firm Research In Motion has signed a deal with TRA to improve e-government services

Canadian firm, Research In Motion (RIM), has signed a deal with the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to improve e-government services, RIM’s Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said on Monday. The chief executive of the company, that makes the BlackBerry smartphones, told delegates at Gitex that the UAE is “an advanced ICT nation” but steered clear of commenting on lifting of the ban threat on BlackBerry services.

Previously TRA said the company’s secure messenger service, which encrypts user data and routes communications through servers outside the country, is a threat to the UAE’s national security. It threatened to shut down BlackBerry services in the UAE on October 11, unless the company found a way to comply with local laws governing electronic communications. Now neither the TRA nor RIM has released details on the agreement that will allow BlackBerry services to continue operating in the UAE, but security experts are speculating that the Canada-based company has a network operations centre (NOC) in the country.

1

Your dotEmarat Domain

By
Emiratweet
– October 11, 2010
dotEmarat domain hits the internet The UAE...

dotEmarat domain hits the internet

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced on Sunday the opening of the Arabic top-level domain name dotEmarat for trademark institutions. The registration process begins on October 17 and ends on December 15. The registration process will be available through TRA accredited registrars.

The Arabic top-level domain name opens new doors for trademarks to communicate with a wide user segment that was reluctant to use the internet because of the language barrier. It establishes a communication bridge through which businesses can deliver their messages and offer their services for that particular segment.

TRA Director General, said: “The Arabic top-level domain (dotEmarat) presents a unique opportunity for companies looking to expand its customer base. Ownership of such domains will secure intellectual property rights related to the name and opens vast opportunities for more companies to take advantage of the Arabic names for their brands.”

1

BlackBerry services will continue

By
Emiratweet
– October 8, 2010
BlackBerry services will continue beyond October 11-...

BlackBerry services will continue beyond October 11- TRA. BlackBerry services in the UAE will continue beyond October 11, Telecom Regulatory Authority has said, reports WAM

TRA also acknowledged “the positive engagement and collaboration of Research In Motion (RIM) in reaching this regulatory compliant outcome”.

The UAE on Friday cancelled its decision to stop Blackberry services from Monday and said the facility would continue as normal apparently after reaching agreement with the Canadian manufacturers. TRA has confirmed that BlackBerry services are now compliant with the UAE’s telecommunications regulatory framework.

“Therefore”, the TRA assured today in a statement: “all Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010″.

TRA also acknowledged “the positive engagement and collaboration of Research In Motion (RIM) in reaching this regulatory compliant outcome”.

1

Very Optimistic

By
Emiratweet
– September 26, 2010
Last time we posted (September 21, 2010)...

Last time we posted (September 21, 2010) about the blackberry issue we said:

We hope that with three weeks to go, BlackBerry will not only do its sums but also do the right thing and on the other hand we urge the people and media to not sway us and be positive as we wait for a clear and justified announcement.

And still after posting that we received and heard alot and many RUMORS. Today we receive that Government officials are “very optimistic” that they will resolve their dispute with the maker of BlackBerry before a threatened ban comes into force in two weeks. This has been declared from a top Abu Dhabi Government official today. (told you we are positive) Talks between government officials and Research in Motion (RIM), are very positive stated the secretary general of the Executive Council, the Abu Dhabi Government’s top decision-making body.

“People are working very hard to resolve the issues,” said  Mohammed al Bowardi today on the sidelines of an energy conference in the capital. “We are very optimistic we will solve this by the deadline.”

3

Etisalat Charged for an ad

By
Emiratweet
– September 22, 2010
Many might have seen this ad in...

Many might have seen this ad in Ramadan where Etistalat was ridiculing Du’s reception. Apparently TRA charged Etisalat 400 thousand DHS for being carried out by bypassing the regulations of commercials defined by the TRA (source). No information posted in our newspaper about it but it seems that DU is very upset since this has reached TRA.

Competition is good but it makes this happen but only if the right attitude and action plans were there. We shouldn’t adopt the belief that our competition is the enemy.  Instead, we should use our competition as an opportunity to grow and succeed. To benefit from your competition, there are 3 rules:

  1. Never bad-mouth your competition publicly.
  2. Never bad-mouth your competition in front of your staff.
  3. Never blame your competition for your lack of success.
1

Blackberry Ban

By
Emiratweet
– September 21, 2010
“So far, no progress has been made”...

“So far, no progress has been made” in the negotiations on allowing the UAE to access encrypted BlackBerry data, the Dubai daily Emarat Al-Yom cited a UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority official as saying.

Alot have been said about this matter and many announcements have been publicized which make us wonder what is true and what is not. TRA said their positive and RIM said they are positive,  DU and Etisalat made us sense that there are good news and again we hear that “UAE remains set to ban BlackBerry services”.

We are sure that alot of work has been put by all parties to solve this and come up with alternates and we appreciate all the hard work. Yet we would appreciate it if we don’t get swayed with different announcements and news. We understand that cybercrime is the most dangerous threat to the safety and security of any country. In fact so much so that even Interpol is not immune to hackers and the misuse of the liberties granted on the information highway are now more insidious than speedsters on the road.

We hope that with three weeks to go, BlackBerry will not only do its sums but also do the right thing and on the other hand we urge the people and media to not sway us and be positive as we wait for a clear and justified announcement.

Did you know: There are an estimated 500,000 BlackBerry users in the oil-rich UAE, which has a population of around six million people.

0

Etisalat’s Alternative Package

By
Emiratweet
– August 3, 2010
The replacement packages on offer, for those...

The replacement packages on offer, for those who subscribed to the BlackBerry services on or before 31 July, consist of bundled SMS, MMS, data usage, voice minutes and alternative smartphones.

The 12 replacement phones available include Apple’s iPhone, and are conditional on customers signing a 12-month contract.

The other phones available for swap are: Nokia E72; Sony Ericsson X10 Mini; Sony Ericsson X10 Mini; Nokia E66; Sony Ericsson Vivaz; Nokia N900; Nokia N 97; Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro; Sony Ericsson Satio; Samsung Wave; and Samsung Galaxy S.

Full details of the offer are available at www.etisalat.ae/blackberry/alternative.html, So What do you think of the alternative?

1

Before We Rant!

By
Emiratweet
– August 3, 2010
Three days since  TRA announced the suspension...

Three days since  TRA announced the suspension of the blackberry service that would kick in on October 11 and last until a legal solution was reached. Alot of opinions alot of “why?” “not fair?” “give us real answers” not forgetting the rumors, and spam jokes too.

“Due to its technical nature, some BlackBerry services, like the messenger, email, and web browsing, remain beyond the implementation of local laws,” the TRA said.

UAE has around 500,000 blackberry subscribers, what is wrong with regulating and securing the services uses which can be a cause serious social, judicial and national security repercussions.

So What is the problem now?

The fact that the blackberry servers are hosted outside the country means that all information, emails, and communications are stored outside the country and is at risk  plus it is not in alignment with the UAE’s communication regulations and is a high cause of security risks. TRA’s decision took sometime because TRA tried to consume all options and went through extensive debate with RIM to propose a solution which is not yet given.

If RIM allowed one government a peek under the bonnet of the BlackBerry system, every other government would be forced to review their BlackBerry security procedures. – The National

^^^^ Then we hear that RIM Helps Russia, China Monitor BlackBerry Users’ E-mails ???

People before ranting about the suspension and getting led by rumors lets look at the bigger picture UAE hasn’t asked for anything different nor more .. Each country has its own local rules and regulations, lets have faith and trust in ours! Whether the above makes sense or not here is something to think about as you close this page

0

TRA will not Stop Blackberry Usage

By
Emiratweet
– July 27, 2010
TRA executive director of Technology Development Affairs...

TRA executive director of Technology Development Affairs Mohammad Geyath told the Al Arabiya news service: “We are studying all options to regulate the services… but we don’t have plans to stop them”.

BlackBerry has been the target of security concerns in the UAE. The TRA claims that the BlackBerry is currently the only device “that immediately exports its data offshore and is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation”.

It is true that there is a misuse of the blackberry but banning it will not solve anything. What is your say about that?

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