Intended Audience
The telecommunications sector is regulated by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in the State of Qatar. The country's primary service provider Ooredoo is a state-owned company that is also responsible for building much of the country's telecom infrastructure. The private company Vodafone also operates within Qatar under the Telecommunications Law.
The Telecommunications Law applies to all persons, corporations, government agencies and public authorities. It does not, however, apply to broadcasters subject to other laws, the content of Internet Protocol telecommunications, the Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior, or security bodies.
There are three classes of telecom licenses in Qatar:
It is illegal to engage in public telecom without a license.
The primary objectives of Qatar's Telecom Law include:
You can check Law No. 17 of 2017 Amending the Telecommunications Law Promulgated by Law No. 34 of 2006.
Telecom offences and their attendant penalties are found in Chapter 16 of the Telecom Law. Offences outlined include:
Penalties for these and other offences range in jail time and monetary fines.
The Executive Regulation of the Telecommunications Law of Qatar No. (1) of 2009 forbids service providers from charging customers for services other than what is outlined in customer orders, agreed service terms or other written customer directions.
Bills issued by service providers must be:
The law mandates telecom companies to take all reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of customer communications and information. However, it does not prohibit authorized government bodies from accessing that information.
You can check the Decree Law No. 14 of 2011 Amending Certain Provisions of Law No. 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection as well as consumer's complaint process at the Communications Regulatory Authority in case your complaints have not been resolved by local telecommunications companies.