The UAE isn't the only place where Skype's voice-over-Internet phone (VoIP) service is outlawed. But is blocking Skype a question of censorship, competing technologies or rival business plans?
"In a world where network neutrality has becoming a rallying cry for advocates of an unfettered Internet, Skype, the pioneer in low-cost and even free online calls, has become a prime example of the limits of wireless freedom," writes Kevin J. O'Brien this week in the NYT/IHT.
Reporting from Barcelona, Spain, where the Mobile World Congress has been underway, O'Brien quotes one network equipment maker as saying, "The battle is not about technology but the business model." If telephone service is free over the Internet, traditional telephone companies go broke. A similar argument has been used with intellectual property issues in music, film, news content.
Yet Neelie Kroes, the new commissioner for digital issues for the European Parliament, recently said that blocking VoIP violated network neutrality. She plans to put pressure on wireless operators in Europe to allow VoIP service on their networks. Just last month, Ms. Kroes testified that "open and clear cut net neutrality is needed."
Interestingly, Ms Kroes most recently held the portfolio of Competition Commissioner for the Parliament.
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3 comments:
I think users find myriad ways to get around the blocks,Skype.com is blocked, but people download the installer in the freezones. They get it from general software download sites. They get it via P2P. They get friends and family to email it to them. They get it on their laptop while overseas. Etisalaat wants to earn money through telephone exchange instead of allowing cheap communication and improving the country. All developed countries like the USA, UK and developing country like India have reduced telephone charges. Reducing telephone charges improves business and developes the country. Communication is the backbone of a country's developement
Although Skype is blocked in the UAE many people manage to download it through overcoming the blocked site by proxy or it may be mailed to them by a friend from another country. The question here says if the UAE blocked Skype can they block all the other ways people can free call such as Google talk and the use of cams and microphones through the messenger and yahoo messenger? Blocking Skype isn’t really reasonable with the unlimited access of all the other technology that allow us to call free.
If etisalat was smart, they would have a cheaper program we could use. But, they can get away with it. UAE is such a new country, people will resort to calling and hiking up the phone bill. That's good for them and the other phone company. our phone bill has been reasonable in the past months.. But, when I first got here, we were paying 2,000 Durhams, a month! I'm better! LOL
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