"Al" <ardl02029_5@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:CDrFj.65670$M9.11341@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...[color=blue]
>
> "Gordon Henderson" <gordon+usenet@drogon.net> wrote in message
> news:fs5fru$16no$1@energise.enta.net...[color=green]
> > In article <q2qFj.3546$6R1.1904@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net>,
> > Harry Stottle <sorryspamdoesntwork@nospam.uk.co> wrote:[color=darkred]
> >>I was considering taking out a mobile broadband service and was looking
> >>through the options. T-mobile are advertising their Web'n'Walk service
> >>at £15.00/month for 3 GB, but when I dug through a couple of layers of
> >>small print, I found the following
> >><Quote> We do not permit use of this service for internet phone
> >>calls</Quote>
> >>Link [url]http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/[/url]
> >>This seems like a restrictive practice to me, a mobile phone company
> >>providing a different type of service, but banning users of that service
> >>from using it in a way that could result in competition to their main
> >>service. How do others see this, and does anyone know if this could be
> >>challenged legally, because if T-Mobile are allowed to get away with
> >>banning internet phone calls through their broadband service, then I can
> >>see VoIP being increasingly threatened.[/color]
> >
> > It will always be "threatened" as long as it's a competing technology
> > and something that may lessen the operators revenue. It goes as far as
> > being illegal in some locations - eg. as far as I'm aware in South[/color][/color]
Africa[color=blue][color=green]
> > where the govt. is the majority shareholder in the telephone company,
> > and I've had issues in smaller (african) countries with the ISP blocking
> > VoIP ports.
> >
> > Three allows Skype calls, but not Skype-out calls as far as I'm aware -
> > obviously Skype-out is a revenue loser for them. There were early
> > reports of Vodaphone (and maybe orange?) "crippling" phones with VoIP
> > capabiltiy too - removing the VoIP parts. However my E90 does SIP very
> > well over Wi-Fi, and mybe over 3G too, but I've yet to try it.
> >
> > I do have to say though, that I'd rather use a mobile phone for GSM/3G
> > calls rather than VoIP calls - it's probably cheaper (contract[/color][/color]
depending)[color=blue][color=green]
> > and more reliable at present, but who knows in the future...
> >
> > Gordon[/color]
> As regards the smaller African countries there is a good reason for that.
> The pipe cost is prohibitive and no one really wants to open the[/color]
floodgates[color=blue]
> and make it cheaper for various reasons.
>
>[/color]

Wi-Fi is ideal for large spreads in african countrys... I know a few
companys that have spent years (well over 10) selling VoIP based Wireless
networking signals in Africa.. Solar power Phone boxes that allowed wireless
pc's (with their hardware) to pick up and use the service ;)..

But yes, there's lots of reasons for not shoving a TB of data down the
pipes of those providers, maily that they cant cope.. I doubt you would get
a data package that's even remotely similar to the one offer'd in the
UK/Europe...

I havent look'd at the american rates but knowing what they pay for phone
calls I imagine they make African Mobi Operators look cheap :P