UAE’s TRA shares list of additional apps for distance learning

UAE telecom regulator Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has shared a list of additional applications to facilitate distance learning programmes across the country, it announced on March 30.

The directive, in coordination with Etisalat and du, will underscore the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus and support educational institutions.

The applications which have been made available on an exceptional basis and until further notice, include:

• Google Hangout Meet
• Cisco Webex
• Avaya Spaces
• BlueJeans
• Slack

The applications that continue to remain available are:

• Microsoft Teams
• Skype for Business
• Zoom
• Blackboard

TRA will review and update the list of available apps periodically.

Earlier this month, TRA announced the availability of free internet data via mobile phones to families which have no home internet services, in a bid to facilitate access to distance learning programmes.

Read: UAE’s TRA to offer free mobile data to help students with no home internet

To combat the fallout of the Covid-19 virus, the UAE announced that all educational institutions across the country would be shut down for a period of four weeks, starting March 8.

Read more: Schools, colleges in the UAE to close for four weeks from March 8

During the vacation, a distance learning initiative and sterilisation of educational facilities was announced.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus infection, 570 people have been infected across the UAE.