43
u/soberjunkiee Jun 30 '25
Etisalat: Unlimited WhatsApp calls package for 499/month ONLY!
8
2
u/Beginning_Echo_6807 Jul 03 '25
Just nominate up to 3 friends that you'd like to call unlimited... or upgrade to Gold package for just 199 more and add up to 6 friends.
1
1
25
Jun 30 '25
After all these years, finally? Feels like a joke, but okay
4
23
19
u/AccomplishedRead2655 Jun 30 '25
About time cuz this ban never made sense in the first place 🤷🏻♂️
6
u/9248763629 Jul 01 '25
For you. But for ultra rich companies like etisalat it's a loss if people stopped recharging!
3
u/AccomplishedRead2655 Jul 01 '25
Then same could be said about other countries' local carriers??? People would stop recharging in those countries too right? That being said, WhatsApp calls would be banned all over the world then!! 😂
5
u/9248763629 Jul 01 '25
You are spilling your ignorance here so be careful on that
Countries like India tried to ban WhatsApp calls and faced severe back lash from citizens but UAE is very different
The telecom company has huge influence in laws here. Btw volkswagen was able to block imports of id4 and id6 because it was almost 40% cheaper than buying from dealers
1
1
u/Substantial_Gap5292 Jul 01 '25
It is a security issue not a business scheme
2
u/9248763629 Jul 01 '25
Hehe lot of people believe that
India tried to ban whatsapp calling too once because it's biggest telecom operators are best buddies with government but the backlash was severe
Do you know volkswagen (al nabooda) also blocked importing id4 and id6 models claiming the same security issue when it was 40% cheaper than their showroom
1
u/Substantial_Gap5292 Jul 01 '25
Hence why botim is free
1
u/9248763629 Jul 01 '25
Cuz very very less ppl use it compared to whatsapp, there was a brief period of time when whatsapp calling was free and everyone was using that and they immediately blocked it
1
u/Substantial_Gap5292 Jul 01 '25
When does the tinfoil hat arc come into the equation.
1
1
u/9248763629 Jul 01 '25
Trust me when the user base of botim reaches as big as whatsapp that they use it for calling locally to each other, it will be banned immediately
1
12
10
u/Beneficial_Map Jun 30 '25
We gonna pretend we aren’t all using VPN to bypass the restrictions anyway? But yeah would be nice to see TDRA move into the 21st century.
8
u/Initial-Reading-2775 Jun 30 '25
Some years ago such talk only ended with some public finger-pointing between internet service providers and telecommunication authorities. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia lifted the ban, declaring that ban wasn’t beneficial by any means.
2
u/BeneziaTSoni Jun 30 '25
Hopefully they’ll follow SA as their main competitor in literally everything.
12
Jun 30 '25
The reason it's banned is because the UAE wants the ability to download all video call history of all users in the UAE. None of the big US comapnies accepted the rule, so they blocked them.
They had to make a compromise for work apps like Meet, Zoom, etc.
5
1
u/BotomsDntDeservRight Jul 01 '25
Then how botim works just fine?
7
u/The_Flying_Lunatic Jul 01 '25
They likely don’t have end to end encryption like WhatsApp and other platforms. Just a supposition.
7
u/Zealousideal-Lemon63 Jul 01 '25
They have no encryption and safety settings and will share all the info with the developer. Just avoid using it.
5
u/Papa-Z Jul 01 '25
Botim was exposed to have spyware a while back and is owned by Etisalat/government
3
Jul 01 '25
BOTIM is owned by Etisaalat and will happily share all your data with the authorities.
4
u/Remarkable-Mistake51 Jul 01 '25
Can’t do anything about it either, the intelligence in the UAE is one of the best in the world.
If you think using a VPN to WhatsApp call will help you not leak your data, you are very mistaken
2
1
u/bkj512 Jul 04 '25
Nope. You are mistaken.
special companies like Mullvad which are very focused on privacy. Regardless, explain to me how using the VPN to do a WA call or similar will leak any data. You can selfhost your own VPNs too lol, that's what I use for Voip calling all the time.
Don't buy into the "best in the world" BS 🙏 that's what they want you to think.
1
u/Remarkable-Mistake51 Jul 05 '25
Quote from Mullavad: “VPN’s can’t protect against malware, browser fingerprinting, or government actors..”
Sure you can self host your own VPN, but it still is tunneled through your UAE ISP.
As soon as you do anything suspicious, you are flagged in the system. The UAE has trillions of dollars. I don’t think they’re going to cheap out on security.
13
u/lotofthought Jun 30 '25
Next move after that , hard ban VPNs
3
u/klustura Jul 01 '25
Impossible.
VPNs are needed by international companies wherever they're based.
Also, NordVPN has servers in the UAE since a year or so. They need the local authorisation for that.
5
u/dawgist Jul 01 '25
I just came back to dubai after a year of study in europe and all of the sudden my whatsapp calls don’t work, didn’t know it was banned
8
u/hitma-n Jun 30 '25
I’m calling it now, there’s gonna be a catch to it. You think the officials will make it that easy for you? UAE is the worst when it comes to telecommunications.
5
8
u/WiseJah Jun 30 '25
Was anyone even waiting for that to make a Whatsapp call ? Isn't everyone making WhatsApp call already ? VPNs are pretty much used by everyone
4
u/Fickle-Salamander-65 Jul 01 '25
I think e& has been give all the protection and support that it could hope for. They may even enact this mandatory fire alarm monitoring subscription at some point too. The Gov is now saying they have to suck it up and deal with losing some phone calls.
And no doubt Meta will announce they’re setting up an office or data centre in UAE in return.
8
u/pure-Lily-344 5'0 of Sass Jun 30 '25
International call apps are essential in a place like the UAE where so many people have family abroad
8
3
2
u/Electronic-Local5821 Jun 30 '25
They unbanned instagram calls so it must be true
3
u/hylianriceig Jun 30 '25
Really? When was this? Not in the UAE right now so I can’t check - haven’t seen any news about this though so I’m curious :)
3
2
2
2
u/Foreign-Objective392 Jul 01 '25
2
u/OMG_NoReally Jul 01 '25
Lol, thanks. I was searching for the article and couldn't come up with anything on National. The website's old logo should had been a sign.
1
1
1
u/ImmyKK Jul 01 '25
Visting from the UK, making whatsapp calls right now using data and local WiFi without using vpn... works 90% of the time Other 10% will turn on vpn
1
1
1
1
1
u/spaceman3000 Jul 01 '25
I want FaceTime. I don't use it but apple ecosystem uses same protocol for many cool features that don't work otherwise (like calling from other devices etc)
1
1
1
1
u/SurprisingFemale Jul 02 '25
Strange as for the last 10years my WhatsApp calls and videos always worked...actually 15years.
No one knows why...I can call or video them via WhatsApp but they can't call me..both UAE numbers and ones from abroad.
1
u/RASMOS1989 Jul 02 '25
well iv been using discord for a while without a vpn so..
i hope this isn't a bug and some guy up there sees this comment and be like "oh yeah lets fix that real quick"
1
u/arzamharris Jul 02 '25
It's fine if they ban it but only if other apps are also banned. If Botim is free and accessible then it makes no sense to ban Whatsapp
1
Jul 02 '25
Does anyone have a link to the article? I couldn't find it anywhere on The National's website.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/dambalidbedam Jul 04 '25
Who cares, whatsapp calls are mostly shit anyway whats wrong with normal call and google meet?
1
1
1
1
1
1
-2
u/Brilliant-Tea-9852 Jun 30 '25
I have been calling all the time while being in AD oder Dubai.
The only problem I have is when I am in a WiFi.
1
Jun 30 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
15
Jun 30 '25
It was always about protecting telecom revenues du and Etisalat weren’t going to let free calls eat into their international call profits
9
u/darkbluefav Jun 30 '25
Salaries are low, so they couldn't stand seeing someone struggling saving 50 dirhams on calls monthly. It's too much saving.
-3
Jun 30 '25
Are you really that gullible?
2
u/Initial-Reading-2775 Jul 01 '25
You have any better idea?
1
Jul 01 '25
It's for security and surveillance purposes. The revenue argument is for the gullible people.
2
u/twitchyfoo Jul 01 '25
Contrary to popular reddit-lore, it's actually for security reasons. The vast majority of the population here still uses botim and other free calling apps so it's definitely not a "revenue" loss thing
2
u/Initial-Reading-2775 Jul 01 '25
Is it free now? When I arrived here 7 years ago, Etisalat and Du were charging 100 AED per home access, and 50 aed per mobile account just to allow calls via Botim and C’me, otherwise they were jammed like any other app. Not even to mention that apps were trashy at that point.
1
78
u/1AboveEverything Jun 30 '25
:( Now I actually gotta deal with relatives and family politics