By Fatima Muhammad
JEDDAH — Many people using the free calls and messaging service, Line, were surprised to find it “blocked” on Monday evening.
However, the service was restored on Tuesday. Many callers on Tuesday said that they found Line working since they were able to make free calls to relatives outside the Kingdom.
The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) did not issue any clarification regarding the temporary service disruption.
Line is one of the most popular free call services in the Kingdom being used by many residents.
Many users took to social media seeking a clarification from the CITC.
Mohammad Al-Arfaj, a co-founder of Suffle creative, wrote on Twitter that special needs people, scholarship students, and expats were the most affected by the temporary disruption of free call service.
Tariq Almadi, an economist, believes that the CITC should focus on developing the telecom sector rather than finding ways to ban free services.
Free call serves through WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook are already blocked in the Kingdom.
However last November, the CITC refuted rumors about blocking free communication apps like WhatsApp, Line, Tango etc.. “All Internet and telecom companies have to adhere to CITC rules and regulations. They do not have the license to control how consumers use Internet services. The CITC is the only authority to do so,” a CITC source was quoted as saying.
“The CITC protects the rights of consumers as well as the rights of service providers,” said the source.
Around 15% of smart phones users in the Kingdom already make free calls using various social networking apps on their smart phones. Saudis have enjoyed a rapid growth of Internet and communications technologies (ICTs) in recent years.
