Skype Banned In China

[assassin9110 0]

This week, subscribers to China Telecom's broadband access service in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, found that they could not log on Skype any more. When they complained to China Telecom, the carrier said that Skype was not allowed. An executive from the technical department of China Telecom disclosed that, from now on, customers of China Telecom that use Skype to make long-distance calls will be fined and even cut off from their connection to the Internet.

The executive added that the contracts signed by the broadband users of China Telecom when they initially subscribed to the service indicated that any kind of Internet telephones are prohibited.

In response to the issue, an executive from Guangzhou Telecom said that it is illegal to use network telephones in China for the moment and that inspection and management rights of Internet telephones belong to China's Communications Management Bureau.

As the biggest fixed line telephone carrier in China, China Telecom is holding talks with a number of software and hardware makers about the issue. At the beginning, China Telecom will carry out its close-down actions in some big cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai and expand it nationwide by 2006.

Due to technical limitation, China Telecom is unable to detect all voice communication software in use, so the next step will be to set up a traffic-inspection system that makes inspection easier.

For its much cheaper costs and PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone functions, network telephones have had a great impact on conventional, fixed-line phone carriers. So far, only 263.com has got the green light from the Ministry of Information to run a network telephone business, but its voice communications software can only support PC-to-PC calls.

Insiders from Tom Online, one of the leading Internet portals in China, say that the Skype software provided by Tom Online does not support PC-to-Phone function just yet. However, large numbers of Skype users say they download software at Skype's own Web site.

Some industry analysts point out that once the Chinese telecom regulators give the green light to network voice communications software, there will be a fight between telecom carriers and network telephone vendors.

China Telecom and China Netcom have been used to dominating the long-distance call businesses. However, they have been losing ground. Last year, China Telecom's domestic long distance call sector was down 1.2 percent. Market watchers attribute the recession largely to the rise of Internet telephony.

sucks to be them, sad their internet future will be. If you cant beat it, close it. Slap to capatilism.

[Florisjuh 0]

It would be sad if you werent allowed to run programs by the governement, altrough some restrictions make sense, like the restrictions on games, I played the FEAR demo yesterday and I could see why it was for ages 17 years or older/But that doesnt count for software like skype of course, is a company allowed to forbid these kind of programs? Wasn't the internet a free for all zone, or is that something of the short past?

[Saint_Michael 3]

well its skybe now but soon all instant messanger services might get banned its the same concept if you think about it. but think about it they did cuz they want to make money and how do you make money by rubbing out the free compitition thus anything thats not provided by the isp or other communications then they can make sure the government can fix it.

[Becca 0]

oh man China is so stupid. They also have really slow internet connection because of sooooo many people.. They must of lost loads of money though because there are AＬＯＴof people in china that make the two way costing calls...

[Saint_Michael 3]

it like how greece banned all video games cuz they can't tell if there is gambling in them or not.

[Peaktao 0]

I'm not really surprised. I mean I go to University of Oxford (in England) and my college has banned Skype too since last year. But I think the reason is more like security- based. I think it's quite strange to ban it...It's such a good thing for international students, like us.

[9block 0]

This subject reminds me of the situation in China and the Red Army. I don't think someone or a government for that matter should be able to dictate your privileges. But this brings to the idea of law and how they do dictate - normally for safety. I guess they see Skype as something other than a freedom we (being North America) see it as. I think it has to do with money, and where that money goes. Assuming skype is an American based company (I am assuming, could be wrong) and they are seeing a popular service by the states that apparently violates their terms of services, they would rather see the money going to them, a telecommunications company. Make sense? (Kind of a political crackpot/conspiracy theory)

[linekill 1]

This is not surprising. China's (by China, the man/men who rule) main goal is to maintain it's communist rule. And to supress any forms of democracy (freedom, we call it). Internet gives us all the freedom we want. We can post/shout/say anything we want with little or no barring. If you're Chinese with a democratic heart, Internet is your vent. This is what happened to Chinese bloggers. I'm not sure of the details but I think Google made a deal with the Chinese government to block certain sites (Most of which are those that provides blogging tools to the public.) What Google has in return, I don't know. And this time, Skype. I don't believe it's about "if you can't have it, close it" nor on the money. It's definitely on maintaining the "security" of the communist rulers. Security, as in, secure position? hehehe. I'm not sure. Pity on the Chinese they wont be hearing the Skype's signature "SIGH". It really sucks if we look it in our perspective. But the Chinese people has come a long way with their form of government. And hey, the Internet is not limited to Skype. I bet there are millions of ways to communicate through the Internet.

[janelily 0]

really . It is very cheap to use skype for international calls. But if skype really was stopped in China, the Skype user would be less. What a big market there.

[HappyAlex 0]

wow, such an old thread!It has been 2 years since this thread was posted well, skype is used by many ppl in China now.It's not banned any longer.Many ppl use skype to make international calls.For me skype is very useful , because of its high tone quality.and in my opinion this issue has nothing to do with politics, it is something about business competition:China Telecom have their own local phone business , there is a competition between Skype and China Telecom, so it is common that China Telecom company banned Skype on their own internet network.

[Bayuugan 0]

wow tat scks...really pity them then.