Etisilat blocking internet phoning? - Gulf News
---QUOTE---
UAE residents were able to access at least two VoIP sites offering international phone calls at a fraction of Etisalat's prices. About two to three weeks ago, those sites were blocked. Angry letters of complaint were dashed to Gulf News and other media organisations.

Etisalat's head of public relations, Ahmad Bin Ali, denied using VoIP was ever legal. "Internet telephony up until now is illegal to use in the UAE. Etisalat can't make these laws. There's no law."
...
Users said blocking of website is uneven. Users in free zones said they are not blocked from VoIP sites.
...
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was established late last year to oversee the introduction of competition into the UAE's telecom sector and to oversee telecom services....Abdullah Hashim, Senior Manager of e-Company, Etisalat's internet and e-business arm, said that while PC-to-PC "voice chats" which use VoIP technology are allowed, PC-to-phone calls are tricky.

"We are exploring the use of VoIP, but at the moment, PC-to-phone calls are not allowed because we could run into problems with the telecommunication companies in other countries."
...VoIP is popularly demanded in the UAE, with a high expatriate population, many of whom cannot afford or who don't want to pay Etisalat's international phone rates. This differs from computer to computer phone calls, which is used in the city's many internet cafes.
---UNQUOTE---