Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was established according to the UAE Federal Law by Decree No. 3 of 2003. The TRA requires Etisalat to actively censor Internet sites. Material deemed offensive, or "inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates", is usually blocked, as well as pornography and gambling sites. For commercial reasons, there is also a total ban on internet telephony or VoIP. The TRA has released conflicting statements regarding when (if ever) the ban will be lifted. As of 2010, Skype became unblocked, but the call connection time is unusually long and the call quality remains irregular, raising the question of whether the related IP traffic is being filtered or monitored.
Read more about this topic: Communications In The United Arab Emirates
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