The General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector, TRA, announced yesterday the launch of ‘Secure your Mobile', a first of its kind nationwide initiative to protect mobile phones in the UAE, in collaboration with Etisalat and du.
Through this initiative, TRA aims to reduce the number of lost or stolen devices by enabling owners to block their devices across the UAE as soon as they are successfully reported. Any lost or stolen device can now be reported to Etisalat or du and within 48 hours, the phone will be blocked in both Etisalat's and du's mobile networks at no additional cost and no calls or messages can be originated from or received by the reported mobile device.
Saif bin Ghelaita, Director Technology Development Affairs, TRA, said, "With the UAE having the highest consumers of smart devices, we understand how valuable smart devices have become to people in UAE who nowadays use their devices as a primary means of computing. Therefore, it is critical we help protect our residents by implementing systems with an easy mechanism to enable users to block stolen or lost mobile devices immediately after reporting them. Our main objective from this campaign is to protect our consumer's mobile devices by limiting the chances of getting them stolen or misused."
Fares Hamad Fares, Vice President, Corporate Communications at Etisalat, said, "Etisalat is always keen to support initiatives taken by the UAE TRA. We welcome this important initiative that is in line with our ongoing efforts to educate customers about all forms of potential fraud. We are contributing to the protection of our user's mobile devices and reducing the risk of theft of important personal data and misuse. We will continue to harness our potential and provide all necessary support for the success TRA's campaign in achieving its desired goals."
Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du, said, "Protecting customers from electronic fraud is gaining increased importance in today's world that highly relies on digital connectivity. We, at du, are keen on educating and increasing our clients' awareness about how they can maintain their online security, which starts with the protection of their devices and smart phones. This isn't du's first initiative of this nature, we have launched and supported several similar initiatives on information security throughout the past years, and our last was the Information Security Conference that we organised for two consecutive years."
Source: WAM