The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is planning to issue policy guidelines in bid to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications materials.

It is building the core ICT regulatory framework for the UAE’s burgeoning knowledge economy.

In particular, the TRA supports the UAE’s ICT sector by safeguarding competition to protect the interests of subscribers, enhancing the readiness of e-services, encouraging investment, innovation and development, whilst facilitating a broader ecosystem for human capital development, said a statement from the UAE telecom regulator.

The TRA said it has been regulating the sector according to the provisions of the telecommunications law and the TRA’s regulatory framework. Of direct relevance to this topic is the TRA’s regulatory policy governing Marketing Communications and Practices which became effective on February 1, 2008, it added.

TRA said it had instructed both the licensees- Etisalat and du - to be technically and commercially ready to launch the  mobile number portability (MNP) service on December 22.

Both licensees have declared their readiness to the TRA, and the regulator has now set December 30 as the launch date for the MNP service.
The new system is intended to promote further competition in mobile communications in the UAE and it will enable consumers to switch between licensees whilst retaining their mobile numbers.

On its marketing and communications practices policy, TRA said through this policy it will protect consumers from misleading, confusing, deceptive or otherwise inappropriate marketing communications and practices by telecommunications licensees.  

The telecom regulator pointed out that recently it had found certain inappropriate marketing communications materials from the campaigns of both Etisalat and du and has instructed them to remove them.

The TRA said it had to taken action as certain material (published by each licensee) were found to be in violation with the regulatory framework.

Both licensees have complied with the TRA’s instructions and respectively removed inappropriate marketing communications, said the authority in its statement.  

"The TRA will continue to monitor the campaigns and will intervene again if necessary to protect consumers from inappropriate marketing material. However, it is the responsibility of the licensees to comply with the provisions of the regulatory framework," it added.-TradeArabia News  Service