TMCnet News
China Bans VoIPBy RICH TEHRANI
TMCnet Editor in Chief This article explains how Skype is annoying Chinese authorities who are seeing revenue dwindle. The Shanghai Daily reported that China Telecom's Shenzhen branch has already blacklisted users of Skype Out.
The paper explained a call from China to New York costs 27 times more via China Telecom than Skype! Ouch!.
Users of unauthorized VoIP services may be fined. Only six Chinese operators -- including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Netcom -- are allowed to operate VoIP services, the paper said. Skype is available for domestic PC-to-PC calls in China via Tom.com. I wonder if the WTO is going to get involved in these sorts of disputes and force the world to allow VoIP in their countries. We will see. In the meantime, it seems that China is certainly an area of huge growth for Skype and I wonder if this is going to decrease their adoption rate in China for the short-term. For that matter, will Skype adoption decrease its rapid growth for now? ----- Rich Tehrani is President and Group Editor in Chief at TMC. He has never been to China. He has always wanted to go and promises to pay a visit once VoIP callers are no longer fined. |