Egypt's FM highlights 'soft power' in Mali meeting with alumni    Egypt's foreign minister opens business forum in Niger, targets new partnerships    Egypt's FM delivers Al-Sisi message to Niger's leader, seeks deeper security ties    Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    Remittances from Egyptians abroad surge 70% YoY in July–May: CBE    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    Egypt's current account gap narrows, but overall BoP records deficit    Al-Sisi urges accelerated oil, gas discoveries, lower import bill    SCZONE signs $52.6m textile industry deals during China investment tour    Egypt hosts international neurosurgery conference to drive medical innovation    Egypt's EDA discusses Johnson & Johnson's plans to expand investment in local pharmaceutical sector    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



The end of Skype in Egypt
Published in Bikya Masr on 17 - 03 - 2010

CAIRO: Salma Abdallah sits at a local cafe checking her email on her brand new iPhone. She is frustrated this morning, as she had a planned Skype call with her family in Northern Virginia, just south of Washington, DC, but the application won't load on the phone. There will be no talking to family members this day.
“It is disappointing,” the 24-year-old waitress began. “I spoke to them last week without any problems, then we started hearing rumors that Skype on phones was going to be banned. Now it looks like it has been,” she adds, dropping her eyes, the anger obviously boiling. “This is my right, is it not? Maybe they should lower prices of international calls and then we wouldn't need Skype.”
That is not going to happen, however, as the lobbying of the three Egyptian mobile operators, Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat have won the most recent battle with regulators to ban the Internet phone service from 3G users and those using the mobile company's USB Internet stick.
“The ban is on Skype on mobile internet, not on fixed, and this is due to the fact it is against the law since it bypasses the legal gateway,” said Amr Badawy, the executive president of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA).
Telecom Egypt, which holds a monopoly on all international calls coming from Egypt, reported poor earnings in their most recent report this week and had pressured, in consortium with the mobile operators, to ban Skype, which they argued was being used to place calls to friends and family abroad. They were right and the government reacted.
Badawy, however, did not rule out the possibility of extending the ban to other services in the future, including fixed Internet connections in people's homes.
“We are targeting any illegal voice traffic on the mobile (Internet),” Badawy said, adding that the ban was communicated to the three mobile operators earlier this week. “Any traffic outside the international gateway is against the law.”
The comments have left Egyptians like Abdallah worried that they will be forced to spend exorbitant amounts of money in order to speak to family members and friends living abroad.
“We've been informed of the decision and we are already abiding by it,” Vodafone Egypt spokesman Khaled Hegazy said in a statement carried by Reuters.
Skype has become the easiest way to connect to friends and family in distant locations as it offers cheap rates when calling direct lines and is a free service if both users have Skype accounts. In Egypt, with international calling rates at nearly $0.50 per minute, Skype offered a link to the outside world.
“Now, I don't think I will be able to talk to my brother in Virginia because it is too expensive. I don't make enough money to buy a computer and get the Internet at home,” Abdallah continued. She makes around 600 Egyptian pounds ($110) per month at her job in the upscale Zamalek neighborhood. “He had bought me this phone so I could get online and call him. What is my mother going to do?”
Egypt's move to ban Skype on mobile phones comes only days after the United Arab Emirates announced it would not give licenses to companies like Skype to operate in the country.
In September, Indian agencies recommended a ban on international internet telephony until a system to trace the calls was put in place.
Badawy could not say whether Egypt's ban would be extended to all international voice calls made over fixed-line internet. For now, those living in Egypt will be able to access Skype from their computers at home, but it may not last.
BM


Clic here to read the story from its source.