China Telecom Bans Skype Services

3:09 am on September 10, 2005 | Category: Business, VoIP

China Telecom has struck a major blow to the advancement of technology in that country, as it moves to block citizens’ access to SkypeOut, Skype’s popular PC-to-Phone telephony service. Chinese regulators claim that Skype is an illegal service, which could destroy “natural market order,” and threaten China’s largely state-controlled telecommunications industry.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that Skype can do to fight this ruling, and the SkypeOut service will, for the time being, remain inaccessible to Chinese citizens.

Although VoIP is legal in China, it strictly regulated, and only six companies are licensed to provide it. Only as regulations gradually change to favor a free market economy will companies such as Skype get a chance to tap into China’s massive.

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    1. [...] Although international control may seem like a good idea on the surface, internet users need to ask themselves whether countries like China, which is willing to ban access to services like SkypeOut, would really do a good job of defending the integrity of the internet as a free medium. [...]

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    2. [...] If China does indeed begin to allow VoIP, it could be good news for internet telephony providers like Skype, whose paid services are currently blocked in the country. [...]

      Pingback by Chinese Government May Soon Grant VoIP Licenses » Telecommunications Industry News — March 22, 2006 #

    3. [...] Of course, which telecom provider’s anonymity is being protected hardly matters, since all Chinese carriers are heavily regulated by the country’s communist government, and all have readily jumped on to the Skype-bashing bandwagon. [...]

      Pingback by US Company Helps China Block Skype » Telecommunications Industry News — May 24, 2006 #

    4. [...] That service, known as SkypeOut, has been banned in China since last year, and the government is doing everything in its power to ensure that all paid Skype offerings remain inaccessible to citizens. [...]

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    Edited by Jeremy Maddock