While Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is bringing cheap talk to millions of users around the world, it could also put you behind bars in a country like Ethiopia. It might sound unreasonable, but believe it or not, VoIP use can land you in jail for up to 15 years.

According to the Bright Side of News, Ethiopia considers VoIP as a potential national security breach. Hartley wrote that this African government does not like its citizens using service such as Skype (News - Alert) or Google Talk. Consequently, the Ethiopian government has issued a new law forbidding use of VoIP talk in the country.

Obviously, there is a hidden scheme behind such an unjust law. The BSN report indicates that the State owned ethio telecom, which was launched recently, might be protecting its interest and monopoly in the country.

Jason Wisdom of Wisdom Consulting said, “DPI (deep packet inspection technology) will be used to monitor enforcement of this new rule, because it can recognize the ports and channels that are used for VoIP communication."

Ethiopia now joins China and Iran as countries who use DPI as a means to thwart potential dissidents.

The Reporters Without Borders Africa service told BBC News, "There's already a very strict control over written press, and last year several journalists were arrested, and now the government is tackling communications over the internet.”However, the BSN.com report says that government controlled ethio telecom portrays a different picture on its web site. The Ethiopian telecom service provider writes that later concentrating its efforts on education, health and agriculture, the Ethiopian government has decided to focus on improvements in the telecom sector, considering it to be crucial in the development of the country.Meanwhile, the report says that an international cross-platform-technology-app calling service KeKu, which is popular in Ethiopia and available in more than 170 other countries, could fill the VoIP gap. BSN.com reported that KeKu permits users to make international calls from any phone number you register to any phone number in the world, with or without the Internet.

Keku CEO Manlio Carrelli stated, “KeKu can still operate despite the new law.”

Like Skype, it is free to sign up and there is no contract. Unlike plain vanilla Skype, you can use any mobile phone or landline.