The video and audio calls app was banned earlier this year due to the restricted use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) It is reported that there are ongoing talks between Microsoft — which Skype is part of — and Emirati authorities to lift the ban DUBAI: The UAE’s telecoms regulator is in talks with Microsoft to lift a ban on Skype, local reports have said. The video and audio calls app was banned earlier this year due to the restricted use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in the UAE. It is reported that there are ongoing talks between Microsoft — which Skype is part of — and Emirati authorities to lift the ban. “We have been working closely with the local authorities toward gaining a better understanding of the local requirements in an effort to get Skype unblocked. We are passionate about the benefits that Skype offers to our users around the world by facilitating communication and enabling collaboration,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Gulf News. Local newspaper Al-Ittihad also reported that the telecommunications authority has stressed on the need to maintain strong ties with the tech giants, such as Microsoft. “Microsoft has launched for the first time two data centers in the UAE that cover the entire Middle East,” Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director-General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Individual users and companies have been calling for a lift to the ban on Skype, which has 70 million users worldwide. Several expatriates who use the free app to make calls to relatives and friends overseas have expressed frustration over the ban.