Communications in the United Arab Emirates
Encyclopedia
In the United Arab Emirates
, Federal Act No. 1 of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole telephone
and telecommunications provider for the United Arab Emirates
, freezones and modern housing developments are exempt from this and utilise a separate telecommunications company called du. However for the majority of the UAE (Non free zones), Etisalat
has a monopoly
on business and personal telecommunications services.
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.
TRA instructs Etisalat
and du
to block parts of Wikipedia, all VoIP services such as Skype
and SIP based services and some social networking services like hi5
, Friendster
, and all dating sites like Yahoo! Personals
and Match.com
. For political reasons, the entire Israeli internet domain, .il
, is also blocked. Pro-Israeli content which does not use the "*.il" domain, however, is accessible (e.g. jpost.com - the website of the Jerusalem Post). A 2005 study, before du was established, also showed Etisalat sometimes block websites relating to the Bahá'í Faith
.
of two major Pakistan
i satellite
news channels, uplinked from Dubai Media City
, which was initially marketed by Tecom under the tagline "Freedom to Create." The Dubai government
ordered Tecom to shut down the popular independent Pakistan
i news channels Geo News
and ARY One World
on the demand of Pakistan's military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf
. This was implemented by du
Samacom disabling their SDI
& ASI
streams. Later policy makers 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.
services to free zones areas under the name Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) (Which is still its legal name). du includes the telecommunications arm of Emaar properties, previously called "Sahm". Sahm as a telecomms operator for Emaar, a commercial and residential real estate developer, was in competition with the state-run Etisalat, and was arbitrarily absorbed into Dubai Holding Company/TECOM/Dubai government prior to the formation of du. As such, du services are only available in Dubai Holding Company/Emaar properties at present. Public services, competitive to Etisalat, should commence at the end of 2006. Number portability will not be immediately available.
1.26 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,500,000 (2007)
Blackberry Users:
730,000 (2010) with 480,000 subscribed to Etisalat
and about 250,000 with du (telco)
.
Internet subscribers:
578,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi
and Dubai
domestic:
microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international:
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar
, Bahrain
, India
, and Pakistan
; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain
; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
820,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1997)
Televisions:
310,000 (1997)
Internet Service Provider
s (ISPs):
2 (2008)
Country codes: AE
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Federal Act No. 1 of 1976 establishes the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation as the sole telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
and telecommunications provider for the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, freezones and modern housing developments are exempt from this and utilise a separate telecommunications company called du. However for the majority of the UAE (Non free zones), Etisalat
Etisalat
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
has a monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on business and personal telecommunications services.
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 censorCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
Internet sites
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. 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
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
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
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
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.
Internet restrictions
Etisalat
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
and du
Du (telco)
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
to block parts of Wikipedia, all VoIP services such as Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
and SIP based services and some social networking services like hi5
Hi5 (website)
hi5 is a social networking website based in San Francisco, California. The company was founded in 2003 by Ramu Yalamanchi. By 2008, comScore reported that hi5 had become the third most popular social networking site in terms of monthly unique visitors....
, Friendster
Friendster
Friendster is a social gaming site that is based in Malaysia, KL. The company now operates mainly from the three Asian countries namely in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore....
, and all dating sites like Yahoo! Personals
Yahoo! Personals
Yahoo! Personals was an online dating service provided by Yahoo!.-Features:Yahoo! Personals editions are designed in local languages. Contacting a member through Yahoo! Personals requires a paid subscription to Yahoo! Personals...
and Match.com
Match.com
Match.com is an online dating company which reportedly has more than 20 million members, made up of a 49/51 male/female ratio, and Web sites serving 25 countries in more than 8 different languages. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas and the company also has offices in West Hollywood, Tokyo, Rio,...
. For political reasons, the entire Israeli internet domain, .il
.il
.il is the Internet country code top-level domain of Israel. It is administered by the Israel Internet Association.The .il top-level domain is one of the earliest registered ccTLDs...
, is also blocked. Pro-Israeli content which does not use the "*.il" domain, however, is accessible (e.g. jpost.com - the website of the Jerusalem Post). A 2005 study, before du was established, also showed Etisalat sometimes block websites relating to the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
Broadcast media censorship
On 16 November 2007 Tecom stopped broadcastBroadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
of two major Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
news channels, uplinked from Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
, which was initially marketed by Tecom under the tagline "Freedom to Create." The Dubai government
Dubai Municipality
Dubai Municipality is the municipal body with jurisdiction over city services and the upkeep of facilities in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1954 by the then crown prince of Dubai, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum...
ordered Tecom to shut down the popular independent Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i news channels Geo News
GEO News
Geo News is a Karachi-based Pakistani news channel, fully owned and operated by Jang Group. The channel started its broadcasting in November 2005 and has millions of Urdu-language viewers around the world.- Popular Shows :...
and ARY One World
ARY One World
ARY News is a Dubai-based Pakistani news channel launched in 26 September 2004. A bilingual news channel in English and Urdu, it is a part of the ARY Digital Network, which is a subsidiary of ARY Group. It has a large audience and one main competitor in Geo News...
on the demand of Pakistan's military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
. This was implemented by du
Du (telco)
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
Samacom disabling their SDI
Serial Digital Interface
Serial digital interface is a family of video interfaces standardized by SMPTE. For example, ITU-R BT.656 and SMPTE 259M define digital video interfaces used for broadcast-grade video...
& ASI
Asynchronous serial interface
Asynchronous Serial Interface, or ASI, is a streaming data format which often carries an MPEG Transport Stream .An ASI signal can carry one or multiple SD, HD or audio programs that are already compressed, not like an uncompressed SD-SDI or HD-SDI . An ASI signal can be at varying transmission...
streams. Later policy makers 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.
Duopoly
In February 2006, a new Telephone company and Internet Service Provider called "du" has been established. Earlier it was providing triple playTriple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
services to free zones areas under the name Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) (Which is still its legal name). du includes the telecommunications arm of Emaar properties, previously called "Sahm". Sahm as a telecomms operator for Emaar, a commercial and residential real estate developer, was in competition with the state-run Etisalat, and was arbitrarily absorbed into Dubai Holding Company/TECOM/Dubai government prior to the formation of du. As such, du services are only available in Dubai Holding Company/Emaar properties at present. Public services, competitive to Etisalat, should commence at the end of 2006. Number portability will not be immediately available.
Data
Telephones - main lines in use:1.26 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6,500,000 (2007)
Blackberry Users:
730,000 (2010) with 480,000 subscribed to Etisalat
Etisalat
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
and about 250,000 with du (telco)
Du (telco)
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
.
Internet subscribers:
578,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
domestic:
microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international:
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
820,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1997)
Televisions:
310,000 (1997)
Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISPs):
2 (2008)
- EtisalatEtisalatEmirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
- duDu (telco)The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
Country codes: AE
See also
- .ae.aeThe domain name ae is the country code top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet for the United Arab Emirates. It is administered by .aeDA which is part of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority....
- duDu (telco)The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is a telecommunications company in the United Arab Emirates. Although Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company is its legal name, it was commercially rebranded as du in February 2006...
- EtisalatEtisalatEmirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
- Freedom of religion in the United Arab EmiratesFreedom of religion in the United Arab EmiratesThe Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The federal Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the...
- Human rights in the United Arab EmiratesHuman rights in the United Arab EmiratesHuman rights are legally protected by the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates, which confers equality, liberty, rule of law, presumption of innocence in legal procedures, inviolability of the home, freedom of movement, freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of communication, freedom of...
- Politics of the United Arab EmiratesPolitics of the United Arab EmiratesPolitics of the United Arab Emirates takes place in a framework of a federal, presidential, elected monarchy. The UAE is a federation of seven absolute monarchies: the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain...