Viber banned in Saudi ArabiaMajor online news agencies reports today the ever anticipated banning of Viber by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a report released by Reuters, the  Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in the Kingdom has posted in their website the following statement.

“The Viber application has been suspended … and the (regulator) affirms it will take appropriate action against any other applications or services if they fail to comply with regulatory requirements and rules in force in the Kingdom.”

As an expatriate working in Saudi Arabia, using Viber to connect with my family in the Philippines is very convenient. Since I have reliable Mobily Internet at home in Riyadh, and my family has so far a fair SmartBro connection in the Philippines; web-based communication is very easy.

It was not long time ago that I started to use Viber to have a free call to my family. But now, no more Viber to enjoy. You can start looking for other alternative VoIP app but even Skype is being considered to get banned in Saudi Arabia.

Reasons of Banning Viber and other Instant Messaging and VoIP app in Saudi Arabia

Here are some unconfirmed reasons because there still no definite statement coming from the government agency.

  • Viber does not meet any regulations and laws existing in Saudi Arabia.
  • Telecom companies such as Mobily, STC and Zain are deprived from income.

Other Countries, Regions and Providers also have also banned Viber as per Viber website

  • Argentina
  • Myanmar
  • Vodafone
  • Ireland
  • Hungary
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands
  • O2 in UK
  • T-Mobile in UK
  • Lebanon
  • UAE
  • Belize