RIYADH — The Shoura Council criticized the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) for deactivating the free call service from the mobile application WhatsApp. Shoura member Abdullah Al-Fifi said on Tuesday during the Council meeting that the commission is draining the consumers' pockets without protecting their rights. "How could the commission deactivate the free call service on WhatsApp?! Telecommunication companies have already monopolized the sector and consumers have many unaddressed complaints," said Al-Fifi. "The companies are not going bankrupt. They are making steady profit while consumers are in need of more reliable services. Phone call rates in Saudi Arabia are among the highest in the world. The commission is monopolizing the sector and cornering the consumer," he said. Another Shoura member Abdulrahman Al-Atwi said the commission must fulfill its responsibilities toward consumers. "The commission should not have the right to deactivate services that are beneficial for consumers," said Al-Atwi. Noura Al-Odwan, another Shoura member, said that instead of banning or censoring free calls, the commission should focus on more pressing issues. "Where are the commission's efforts on censoring pornography on social media and controlling content inappropriate for children? People are also receiving spam messages, but the commission has not done anything in this regard. The commission is protecting investors and telecommunication companies," said Al-Odwan. Earlier this month, CITC said that the decision to ban WhatsApp voice call in the Kingdom was taken by the WhatsApp Company itself. The Kingdom's telecom regulator clarified in a statement that the voice call service is not available in many countries, including some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and this was because of the failure of the company in complying with the regulations prevailing in these states, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The CITC's statement came in reaction to the reports being circulated in some media outlets about halting the WhatsApp voice call service in the Kingdom. The commission also underscored its keenness in making available of the latest communications and IT services to the users, strictly in line with the rules and regulations prevailing in the Kingdom. The call facility on WhatsApp, which was blocked earlier was suddenly resumed earlier this month. The service was blocked on March 15 last year in the Kingdom after pressure by telecom companies claiming it was creating big losses to them.
