Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Jordan Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has no intention to block or prohibit the use of communications applications on smart phones in Jordan, an agency official said.

TRC's Executive Director Mohammad Ta'ani said that the commission works to maintain its regulatory framework to be in tune with international telecommunications standards.

Ta'ani denied that TRC has any intention to block or prohibit the use of telecommunications services through smart phone apps, stressing that telecom companies did not officially request from the agency any such measures, Al Ghad daily reported.

Telecom apps used frequently by smart phone users are straining telecom companies' revenues, particularly the use of SMS messages and local and international phone calls, which are offered free of charge by various apps.

He noted that talk of such measures is limited to the context of "unofficial discussions on the impact of the apps on telecommunications industry."

"Any attempts to block or prohibit these services in the telecommunications market will give negative connotations to users, because they will consider such attempts as restrictions of internet freedoms," Ta'ani told Al Ghad.

TRC's comments come as some countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced measures to restrict the use of apps, such as Viber, Whats App, Skype, and Tango, among others.