UAE tightens regulations around cold calling

Bad news for telemarketers, good news for… everyone else: The Economy Ministry and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority have set new guidelines for cold calling, with violators set to face up to AED 150k in fines, partial or total suspension, or license withdrawal, according to a statement. The new regulations will go into effect in mid-August.

Refresher: The UAE cabinet had approved a new framework for telemarketing calls during a meeting in May.

What are the new rules?

• Marketing firms must be licensed by relevant authorities to launch telemarketing services;
• Marketing calls must be made only from phone numbers registered under the names of licensed companies, not individuals;
• Telemarketing calls are prohibited outside the hours between 9am and 6pm;
• Re-calling customers is prohibited if the customer has rejected the marketed service or product in the first call;
• Re-calling customers on the same day is prohibited if the customers declined or ended the phone call.