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On Thursday, the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), an organization that regularly bans websites within the Emirates, declared that subscribing to a UK based Virtual Private Network (VPN) is as illegal as ‘smuggled DVDs or pornography.'

(from ITP.net)

GTS supplies a VPN that allows users in the UAE to access websites and Voice Over IP (VoIP) services blocked by the TRA. The banned sites range from pornographic to political. Other sites, like Orkut, have also been blocked because they may promote dating. Recently, rumors spread in Dubai that Facebook had been banned, though the site's failure to work in the UAE turned out to be a technical error (more here ). With so much worry over bans in the UAE, it is little surprise that a company like GTS has emerged.

When asked about the TRA's ability to disable the use of VPNs used to circumvent bans, a TRA spokesman, speaking to ITP.net, was evasive. So GTS' future in the UAE is unclear for now but one thing is certain, as long as countries continue to ban internet content, there will be business opportunities in delivering it.

Via: ITP.net

Lee Nunley
Middle Eastern Innovations Writer
InventorSpot.com