Now you can use WhatsApp and Skype In Saudi Arabia—KSA Lifts The Ban

Saudi Arabia is all set to lift the ban on applications used for video and voice calling over the internet, the apps now can be freely accessed in KSA including WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, and others.

According to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdulla Al Sawaha the ban would be lifted from next week, September 20.

Because of telecom regulations Saudi Arabia had to put ban on using video and voice calling apps which use the internet only for long distance calls, as KSA is packed with immigrants who come from various countries to work in Saudi Arabia the need for calling becomes inevitable, the local telecom sector was affected by the rise of video and voice calling apps, therefore Saudi Arabia put the ban on apps and made them inaccessible from the country long ago.

But it was becoming too expensive for expatriates to make calls to their loved ones, a bold step from Saudi Arabia to facilitate their people is underway now, coordination between Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) and Telecom service providers is initiated in order to bring ease to Saudi Nationals as well as expatriates so they can enjoy and ripe benefits from the popular applications at the fraction of cost, Said the Chairman CITC Sawaha.

The services providers have confirmed their commitment to enabling customers to use voice and video calls applications with the highest quality, Saudi Press Agency Reported.

“This fruitful cooperation between the Kingdom’s telecom partners comes under the umbrella of ‘Customer First’, a policy in which everyone works in order to give all telecom subscribers in the Kingdom the best services that meet their expectations and satisfy their needs,” Said Al Sawahah.