[Asterisk-biz] Anybody from voipjet here

Fri May 6 15:08:30 MST 2005

Mexico Phone Operator Telmex Blocking VoIP Traffic And Websites 

Mexico Telephone Operator Under VoIP Fire

April 25, 2005

By Ben Charny

Broadband customers of Mexico's dominant telephone operator say the quality
of their voice over Internet Protocol calls has tanked, with some alleging
that Telmex is engaging in unfair business practices to block VoIP
competition. 

VoIP, freely available software that lets broadband connections become
inexpensive home phone lines, is seen as a major threat to entrenched phone
operators such as Telmex because VoIP users no longer need a local phone
service; they can use their VoIP service with any broadband connection
anywhere in the world. 

International operators and habitues of the less urbane world of Web forums
are venting about the government-owned operator's alleged practices, which
they say include blocking Web sites that VoIP operators use to register new
customers and perform a bulk of their customer service. 
"We're definitely interested in this situation," said a White House trade
official, who asked not to be named. "Telmex has had a long pattern of
engaging in anti-competitive behavior." 

In a March report, the White House's Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
wrote: "Uncertainty regarding the treatment of voice over Internet Protocol
services in Mexico is cause for concern. Irrespective of the merits of
Telmex's ambitions, restrictions on the ability of any entity, foreign or
domestic, to supply VoIP appears inappropriate."

Telmex did not respond to a phone call and an e-mail seeking comment on the
situation.

Caller complaints escalate

The Telmex VoIP situation has grown since mid-March, when the company's
broadband customers say the quality of their third-party voice over Internet
Protocol calls began eroding to what are now unbearable levels, according to
e-mail interviews with VoIP customers who routinely call in and out of
Mexico. 

VoIP operators are running into an alleged problem typical in countries
where there's one phone company owned by the government--such as Qatar,
Costa Rica and Panama--or privately owned and with enormous sway over
regulators. In Mexico, the former government-owned Telmex remains dominant
because the Federal Telecommunications Commission lets complaints from
foreign competitors linger without resolution for years; and its recommended
enforcement is rarely meted by the nation's Secretariat of Communications
and Transportation, according to the USTR. 

Skype spokeswoman Kelly Larabee said the company has confirmed its Web site
is being blocked in areas served by Telmex, but said the cause was unclear. 

"We encourage all Telmex broadband subscribers to contact their ISP and
demand the open access they pay for," Larabee said. She stressed that Skype
does not know whether the Web site access issue is deliberate, or a
temporary glitch Telmex is unaware of. 

This may be happening because Telmex allegedly identifies VoIP users based
on the kind of traffic they send, then chokes their bandwidth to disrupt the
calls, said Brooke Schulz, a spokeswoman for U.S. Net phone provider Vonage.

Telmex is also allegedly blocking access to Net phone Web sites, including
that of Skype, the world's most popular VoIP service, Skype says it has
confirmed. By blocking the site, Telmex could prevent potential Skype users
from signing up, and existing Skype users wouldn't be able to replenish
minutes on their prepaid calling cards or order other premium services.

"We're working on exercising our options with the U.S. trade
representative," Schulz said. "However, because we're not a Mexican company,
we have little leverage with the Mexican regulator. But we're doing
everything we can."  

-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Anton Krall
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 4:31 PM
To: 'Andrew Latham'; 'Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion'
Subject: RE: [Asterisk-biz] Anybody from voipjet here

Yes.. Why? 

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