If you run a business in the UAE and want an AI receptionist to answer your calls, the AI is rarely the hard part. The phone line is. The UAE regulates voice services closely, only two operators provide public telephony, and the shortcuts that work in other countries, such as buying a local number from an international cloud provider, often don't exist here.
This guide explains the routes that do work, in plain terms: forwarding your existing line, SIP trunks, toll-free numbers and porting. It is general information, not legal advice. Telecoms rules and operator products change, so confirm the details with your operator and, where relevant, with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).
The ground rules
The UAE government portal states that e& (formerly Etisalat) and du are licensed to provide telecommunications services, including landline and mobile telephony, in the UAE. Voice over IP that connects to the public telephone network is a regulated activity. The regulator's VoIP policy, first published in 2006 and revised in 2009, says providing such services requires a licence, and it allows licensed operators to block unlicensed VoIP services. Internal VoIP inside one organisation, which does not connect to the public network, falls outside that policy.
The regulator has since approved a list of internet calling apps for consumers and businesses, and its position has softened in places. The principle that matters for a business phone line has not changed: the leg of the call that touches the public phone network should be carried by a licensed operator. Every route below respects that.
One practical consequence: international communications platforms are limited in what they can offer. Twilio's UAE guidelines say UAE geographic numbers may be used only to receive inbound calls, and its UAE pricing pages currently say it has no voice-enabled numbers there. Do not plan around buying a +971 number from an overseas provider without checking current availability and terms.
Route 1: forward your existing number
The simplest option. You keep your current e& or du number and set call forwarding to the AI receptionist, either for all calls, or only when you are busy, when you don't answer, or outside working hours. Your operator carries the call to the forwarding destination, so the public-network leg stays with a licensed operator.
- Mobile numbers. e& documents standard forwarding codes on its mobile call forwarding page: all calls, busy, no answer and unreachable. du publishes similar codes. The e& page describes forwarding to another mobile or fixed number in the UAE.
- Business landlines and cloud PBX. Forwarding is usually a feature of the line or the hosted phone system. du lists free call forwarding as a feature of its Hosted Voice service, for example.
- Forwarding abroad. If the AI receptionist's number is outside the UAE, forwarding becomes an international call. Check with your operator whether international forwarding is enabled on your line and what it costs before you rely on it.
Forwarding only unanswered and after-hours calls is a gentle way to start: your team answers as usual and the AI catches what would otherwise be missed.
Route 2: a SIP trunk
A SIP trunk delivers your business's phone lines as a digital connection to an IP phone system instead of copper lines. It is the standard choice for companies with a PBX and more than a handful of simultaneous calls.
du publishes a Business SIP Trunk product, described as best for businesses with PBX systems. On its page in October 2026, plans ranged from 10 to 100 simultaneous call channels on 12-month contracts, with caller number display included. du says it does not supply the PBX itself, so you bring your own, and its FAQ adds that "VoIP calls on SIP are currently not permitted in the UAE", meaning the trunk carries regulated operator calls rather than unlicensed internet calling.
e& supplies SIP connectivity to business customers, but at the time of writing it did not publish a SIP trunk product page with public terms. Ask your e& account manager. e& also offers cloud-based business telephony, such as its CloudTalk unified communications service and the Office Presence cloud landline for small businesses.
To put an AI receptionist behind a SIP trunk, your PBX, or the trunk itself, routes chosen calls to the AI platform over SIP. Before you commit, ask your operator three questions and get the answers in writing:
- Can calls arriving on the trunk be routed onward to a third-party cloud SIP destination outside the UAE, and on what terms?
- Which codecs and signalling security does the trunk support? G.711 is the common denominator for phone audio.
- Is the original caller's number passed through, so the AI can recognise returning callers?
Route 3: an 800 or 600 number
A toll-free 800 number, or e&'s 600 number for commercial customers, is a dedicated number whose calls the operator routes to destinations you choose. e&'s 800 service supports routing calls to landline or mobile destinations, splitting calls by percentage and disaster-recovery routing, managed through a web portal. Its listed documents include your trade licence and "a no objection letter permitting call routing".
These numbers suit businesses that want a single published number for enquiries, with the AI receptionist as one of the destinations, without touching existing lines.
Route 4: port your number to a new setup
If you change operator or move to a new phone system, you do not have to change your number. TDRA introduced mobile number portability in 2013, fixed number portability in 2021 and 800 number portability in 2022. du's business page, for example, says a business can keep its complete nine-digit fixed number when switching operator, with no porting charge. Outstanding bills must be settled first.
Which route should you choose?
| Your situation | Likely route |
|---|---|
| Small business, one or two numbers, mostly mobile | Forward unanswered and after-hours calls |
| Office with a PBX and several lines | SIP trunk from du or e&, with chosen calls routed to the AI |
| One published enquiry number for several branches | 800 or 600 number with routing |
| Changing operator or phone system | Port your existing number, then choose one of the above |
Don't forget the rest of the rulebook
- Recording and privacy. Tell callers they are speaking with an AI assistant and whether the call is recorded. Recording someone without their knowledge can raise privacy issues under UAE law. See our recording guide.
- Outbound calls are different. If the AI will make marketing calls, Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024 applies: registered company numbers, calling hours, the Do Not Call Registry and more. See UAE telemarketing rules.
- Data protection. Call audio and transcripts are personal data under the UAE's Personal Data Protection Law, or the DIFC and ADGM regimes if you are based there.
Clodia can take calls forwarded from your existing number, and from a carrier SIP trunk where your operator allows it. Read three ways a call can reach Clodia, or the Arabic version of this guide: ربط خط هاتف شركتك بالذكاء الاصطناعي.
Sources and further reading
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