Etisalat to offer internet-based phone calls in Q2 2012 (UAE)
Leading telecom operator in UAE, Etisalat, has said that it will offer internet-based phone calls by the end of the second quarter, as told to Reuters. As per the report, the move comes in an attempt to fight off competition from Skype and other international providers.
The report reveals that in UAE, only Etisalat and rival du are licenced for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services – free Internet-to-Internet calls and cheap Internet-to-phone calls – and both have yet to do so as they try to maximise earnings from conventional calls.
Even though Skype has been officially banned in the region, the larger population still continues to access it thereby cutting into the margins of the mobile operators. Essa Haddad, Etisalat’s chief commercial officer, told Reuters that they are talking about quarter two, 2012. Haddad declined to indicate how much cheaper Etisalat’s VoIP calls would be compared with its usual international tariffs.
He added that any price change has to be (approved) by the regulator and that’s why it’s taking time because they need to get this finalised. Previously, the telecoms regulator has indicated it would not allow significantly cheaper VoIP tariffs, but analysts warn that will do little to persuade UAE residents to switch from the likes of Skype, which can still often be accessed locally despite the ban.
Faced with this challenge, Etisalat has bet its ePlus platform will improve customer loyalty and stem the flow of subscribers to du, which has built up an estimated 46 per cent share of mobile subscribers since launching services in 2007. Etisalat, which operates in 17 markets, has reported declining earnings in seven of the past eight quarters, with the rise of du and VoIP key factors in this slump.
Skype blocked in Morocco (Morocco)
The major Moroccan telecom company, Maroc Telecom, has blocked several sites that offer VoIP services, including Skype. It is speculated that the decision to block VoIP sites by Maroc has been taken, in an attempt to establish a monopoly in the telecom market.
According to sources, VoIP sites were not blocked by Maroc following any Government order, however, the telecom company is marketing its own VoIP service named MTBOX in the Moroccon market. Access to TeamSpeak and overseas call via VoIP were mainly hit by the block. Several complaints of difficulty in accessing VoIP sites were registered. Consumers complained about poor signals and dropped calls. It was speculated from thereon, that Marco might take the extreme step of banning the VoIP sites.
As per sources, the telecom operator has opted to block all the VoIP sites in order to erase the competition and to compel the users to stop using free calling services offered by sites including Skype, TeamSpeak, etc.
Being the default internet provider for a large number of Moroccan users, the company aims to compel the users towards paid calling, added sources. Maroc telecom was sold to the French Company Vivendi. The telecom operator was yielding high profits for Vivendi for several years and was fetching high revenues for the company on the grounds of its monopoly in the telecom market.
Skype steps up negotiations with mobile operators to permit internet calls (UK)
Skype technologies, a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet, has reportedly approached Ofcom, UK’s telecom authority, as British mobile operators have blocked Internet based calls on their networks. According to reports, Ofcom has said that by blocking Skype’s services mobile operators were restricting innovation and that it may intervene if the operators continue to block the services.
Mobile operators in the US such as Verizon Wireless, have not paced any restrictions on the services offered by Skype, but have infact offered the software on some of its handsets since the past year. However, on the other hand, British operator Vodafone Group Plc requires users to pay an additional charge of $ 23 each month to gain access to Web-based calls on their mobile phone. Further, reports suggest that France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom in UK have banned access to such services.
Sources claim that operators impose such restriction in an attempt to safeguard their profits as well as counter the fall in revenues from traditional voice and message services.
DoT considers asking Google, Skype for a decryption solution (India)
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is considering to ask voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service providers like Google and Skype to devise a decryption solution of their services.
The move, if implemented, will mean that the government will be able to track emails sent through Gmail as well as intercept voice calls made through Skype.
In an internal meeting with DoT, officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has told the telecom department that Google and Skype need to provide decryption of their services whenever required by the security agencies for lawful interception.
According to the DoT internal note, there was also a need to bring some parity between the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Indian Telegraph Act-1885 to deal with interception and monitoring.
A Google spokesperson stated that they have not been contacted by the government yet on this issue and thereby, they are unable to comment.
During the meeting, DoT stated that such issues may be taken up at international forums such as ITU, WTO and United Nations wherein service providers are mandated to take permission from member countries before launching new services.
The note further stated that the legal protection for business entities may have to be strengthened against consumer protection or any civilian Act, where business secrets are disclosed to government agencies due to security considerations.
Intelligence Bureau (IB) will also prepare a list of issues faced by them while monitoring services and will be jointly addressed by the department of telecom and IT.
The interception/monitoring issue cropped up after security agencies expressed concerns about intercepting highly encrypted services such as BlackBerry amongst others.
CDMA Ukraine introduces ‘Calls to Skype’ service
CDMA Ukraine has launched the ‘Calls To Skype’ service for its subscribers.
The interested customers need to send a free SMS including their Skype user name to a short code, after which they will receive a message with a number to be used for calling their contact. The number can be used for additional calls later, with SMS registration only required once. The cost of Skype calls is US$0.03 per minute with no connection fee.
Telco operators to submit plans by month end(India)
The Indian Government has fixed March 31 as the deadline for all telecom operators to submit plans for interception of their services, including popular BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) of Research in Motion (RIM) and Skype by security agencies.
A senior official has stated that the home ministry has asked the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) to ensure that all telecom operators submit their plans by the end of this month on when they can provide access to all services, including BlackBerry’s BES, whenever there is a necessity for the security agencies.
He stated that DoT had been in contact with the telecom operators who, under their licensing agreement, were negotiating the details with the smart-phone service providers. The department would tell the home ministry about the deadlines, which would be final in terms of downloading certain software in mobile handsets itself to ensure interception. If they fail to give access, they have to put their services off in India. He explained that once the companies provide solution within the deadlines, the retrofitment or download of certain softwares in the handsets for legal interception would not be difficult.
The Centre will also put in place a security architecture for the telecom sector through which the government could put in a new facility to deposit open software in certain forms and new testing facility (labs).
Qtel announces partnership with Skype (Qatar)
The Qtel Group has announced a commercial agreement with Skype, whereby its mobile broadband subsidiary Wi-tribe, will promote Skype and its related products over Wi-tribe’s networks in Jordan and the Philippines; two key markets for Wi-tribe.
As per the agreement, Wi-tribe; a provider of wireless broadband Internet, will enable customers in the respective markets to easily download Skype software and connect with their family and friends.
According to Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Qtel, the Qtel Group’s strategy for innovation is driven by the needs of their customers, and enabled by partnerships with like-minded companies. They recognize the changes taking place in the market and the increasing customer demand for rich communications solutions and have decided to partner with Skype – one of the pioneers in the industry. This is a first-of-its-kind in their Middle East region and they look forward to working closely with Skype to deliver the best possible customer experience.
To start the partnership, Skype and Wi-tribe will distribute Skype credit vouchers for customers in the Philippines and in Jordan. These vouchers will enable customers to enjoy free calls to landlines and mobiles over Skype using the Wi-tribe mobile broadband network.
