The Telecommunications and Regulatory Authority (TRA)  in the UAE has set a deadline for customers using illegal phones. As of January 1, anyone found using a counterfeit phone will face termination of services from telecom providers. The counterfeit devices are to be detected with the help of mobile operators du and Etisalat.

According to the TRA, the telecom operators can determine whether a device is original by the phone's serial number and if it complies with the International Mobile Equipment Identity standard. Both du and Etisalat have said its services to counterfeit handsets would be suspended. Furthermore, anyone found manufacturing or supplying counterfeit phones can be penalised with a fine of up to Dh1,000,000.

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The UAE plans to build an Internet hub that could speed up web connections throughout the Middle East. Much of the region's internet traffic is routed via Europe, the US and Asia. This rerouting takes "a fraction of a second, but it makes a big difference", Mohamed Al Ghanim, the director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said on Tuesday.

According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the UAE could begin cutting telecommunication rates by the end of this year. The TRA, which oversees the communication sector in the UAE, said it has presented rate cut proposals to the two telecom operators, Etisalat and du.

“After nearly three years of work on the price and competitiveness issue, TRA made recommendations which are being considered by the operators,” said TRA director general Mohammed Al Ghanim  “We expect such recommendations to be enforced by the end of this year,” he added.

The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has lifted its ban on du Telecom. The regulator had previously placed a ban on the telecommunications provider after it had launced an advertising campaign that advertised its network as a 4G network. 

The impact of Facebook’s offering of new free Skype-powered video calling services on its global social media network is still uncertain in the UAE, say telecom analysts.While separate stand-alone Skype software is still not legally licensed in the Emirates, the question remains whether Skype-powered video calling that is physically integrated into the Facebook website is viewed by authorities as a legal activity.

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