Dubai operators stand to make revenue from VoIP if legalised for international use.
VoIP is currently illegal for international use in Gulf states and punishable by deportation in some cases. However, Dubai has a large number of expatriates creating great demand for VoIP services to make calls across the border. With this in mind the telecommunications industry is currently reviewing the legislation.
Concerns are that if VoIP is legalised, the demand for mobile and fixed-line calls will be heavily reduced, causing the industry financial loss. Analysts, however, point out that a change in legislation may actually be an opportunity for operators to make revenue.
Senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media Mohammad Hamza explains that with VoIP legalised for international use operators will be able to claw back some of the revenue currently made from illegal use.
If legalised, VoIP for international use would be run by operators rather than third party providers and instead than being offered as a stand-alone product, it could easily be bundled with other offers allowing for added revenue.
According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority mobile and fixed-line call rates would not be affected much as they have already been heavily reduced.
VoIP call rates will be most beneficial when calling another VoIP user. If using VoIP to call a mobile or fixed-line, there will be a charge.
Many people would happily accept using the VoIP service at a small charge And are keen to get this legalised.
VoIP calls made with mobile phones are going to undercut the tariff costs set by mobile phone providers according to a new report.
The findings proved that mobile calls taken using a mobile network will be 15 times cheaper than a 3G mobile phone call. The allure of low cost calls, will of course increase the desire for VoIP.
Those could greatly benefit from VoIP will be those who want to avoid the exorbitant roaming charges from international calling.
The report did point out that 3G VoIP was not reliable as web coverage needed for this services was poor. However, as handset technology improves and web advances are made, 3G VoIP will be become more dependable.
As VoIP takes off, it is likely that mobile phone operators will design their own VoIP applications to capitalise on the technology, as currently the software must be downloaded.
The number of people using their phones to access the web has greatly increased with the figure last year reaching 14.4 million.
The Voice over Internet Protocol services provided by Google are being investigated for a possible breach of telecommunication laws.
The Federal Communications Commission are investigating the possibility that Google Voice has allegedly been refusing to connect the Internet Protocol service to some rural areas.
The Chief of the Wireline Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission has expressed their interest in gathering facts in order to have a clearer understanding of exactly what has been going on.
The FCC bans blocking carriers so that consumers can implement affordable broadband networks of their choice.
It is not fully understood how Google Voice’s VoIP services works and so the FCC have been brought in to investigate this and discover exactly how many people are using the service.
Currently the service is available only by invitation allowing those special individuals to make, receive and take calls – even conference calls. Users can also record calls should they need to and store them on the internet.
The investigation continues.
Edwin Pena, 26, was arrested in Mexico last February for computer hacking and fraud and finally faces these charges this week.
The Venezuelan, who was a former Miami resident, fled the US justice system in August of 2006. This was two months after being bailed following phone hack charges and stealing VoIP call credits.
It is estimated that Pena and his accomplice stole $1.4 million by selling on 10 million voice call minutes taken from unsuspecting telecoms suppliers.
Pena’s accomplice, Robert Moore, pleaded guilty and is currently serving a two year jail sentence. Pena is alleged to have used ‘brute force’ tactics to extract information and activation codes from susceptible telecom supplier systems.
Pena used the proceed of his dirty dealings to live a life of luxury, buying himself a 40 foot boat, a BMW M3 and not to mention the estate in Miami.
The United States have been clamping down on hackers, working with other countries to bring criminals to justice and extradite them back to receive punishment. This case will be the beginning of many.
