China Telecom to Block PC-to-Phone VoIP services
September 16, 2005
According to the Chinese newspaper Beijing Business Today and several other media outlets, China Telecom is seeking to prevent its customers from using VoIP PC-to-phone services. The company has already blocked customers from using these services in the southern city of Shenzhen, and it plans to do so in the whole country in the near future. China Telecom and China Netcom are currently the only two companies allowed to offer PC-to-phone services, which pose a threat to these telecoms' revenues from international calls.
Skype, which was acquired by EBay recently, is one of the leading providers of VoIP services, and might be affected by the China Telecom's new plans. According to Tom Online however, the services it offers in its joint venture with Skype will not be affected, as they only include PC-to-PC calls.