Free and cheap calls are the need of most expats who came to Qatar to make savings. The two local calling companies Ooredoo and Vodafone offer expensive international calls, so many people call their loved ones through the widely used app WhatsApp.
However, they experience a distortion in connection and the voice from the other end is not clear, which brings the question; Is WhatsApp call in Qatar banned?
WhatsApp voice or video calls face issues in Qatar, but there is a ban from Qatar government or WhatsApp itself, nothing is official in this regard.
Apart from WhatsApp, people also face issues while making calls on Facebook, Skype and Viber.
WhatsApp free call alternatives
So there are two ways to make a free call from Qatar.
You can use other apps like Google Duo or IMO. These apps offer free, text, voice and video calls without distortions;
or
Connect a VPN before making a call.
A VPN allows you to encrypt your internet activity and conceal your true physical location. After connecting VPN people were able to make clear voice calls without any distortion. This hints that there is some sort of ban imposed on WhatsApp calling.
List of best VPNs to use for WhatsApp calls
Ivacy VPN – 1 month plan = 9.95 $
Nord VPN – 1 month plan = 11.99 $
Turbo VPN – 1 month plan = 11.99 $
Express VPN – 1 month plan = 12.95 $
What are the reasons for WhatsApp call ban?
Well, since nothing is official, so we don’t know the actual reasons however, there can be reasons like:
- Allowing free calling will result in loss of Revenue to the only two calling companies working in Qatar.
- There can be security reasons as these third party apps do not share data with any government unlike the telecom companies which may share and let the government be aware of suspicious activities.
- Distortion in calls and bad connections can urge these tech giants to invest in Qatar and bring their offices and data centers here leading to more jobs and economic boost.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below.
