India Cracks Down On Illegal VoIP

Taking a page out of the Chinese playbook on how to be a monopoly based economy, India's telecom regulators have cracked down on VoIP being used in the country illegally actually going as far as arresting some of the operators. One of the companies is Primus Telecommunications India, which may be a sister company of Primus, the company that offers Lingo here in the USA.

I know as fact that some USA based companies which do offshore IT development in India have used Vonage boxes in India with USA phone numbers, as well as Skype. IP knows no boundry lines and borders get crossed. I find this humourous that the country that welcomes so much outsourced business on one hand wants to restrict the ability to efficiently communicate on the other.

Comments

[chandrasekhar]

Sir/madam,

I am from hyderabad,I got one internetcafe I am using a Voip called packet8(USA Based company)shall i use in india.They are giving unlimted to USA And Canada,They are charging only 1000/-Rs per month.Just i want to know about this is legal or not .Please let me know.

I am waiting for your responce.

with regards,
Chandrasekhar.

[yovan]

Technically speaking Indian Telecom Authority has no business of interfering with end-to-end VOIP (domestic or foreign provider). Controlling end usage of Internet connectivity is not in their jurisdiction. They can only control activity concerning the end usase of their voice lines. If I buy bandwidth from an ISP its my right to use it for any lawful traffic - including VOIP. The democratic government should not turn a deaf ear to the outrageously immoral and monopolist intentions behind raid on individual VOIP users. Where does one draw a line. Would they call it illegal if I attach a voice message in mp3 or .wav format in my email -to or from India. There is no limit - how far is Telecom Authority going to take this fascist attitude - tomorrow they might seem it fit to arrest me if I am talking loud to my neighbor standing on roof. Afterall - I could have used phone for the same activity.

I request an informed legal view on the issue of end-to-end VOIP using a foreign provider's services.

[SUNIL KULSHRESTHA]

WE ARE TALKING IN TERMS OF BEING A PART OF GLOBAL VILLAGE & IN THAT VILLAGE INTERACTION AMONGST THE VILLAGERS SHOULD BE MADE EASY & AFFORDABLE, BUT BY CRACKING DOWN VOIP IN INDIA CAN BE A MATTER OF CONCERN ESPECIALLY WHEN INDIA IS FRONTRUNNER IN THE FEILD OF IT. VOIP SHOULD BE PROMOTED ACTIVELY.

[hema]

Some companies on airport road, Bangalore has been raided by DOT , authorities. I am also working in one company in Carlton towers, airport road Bangalore .now any Dot officials clarify which compnay is legal and what should be the formalities to be legal

[rammohan]

what are the authorised companies to give VOIP service. Can you tell me what all i need for VOIP service.

Rammohan

[hema]

many corporates in ITPL and some big tech companies are using VOIP services provided by vonage, dialpad.com, ecallphones, vebtel, telnet....

can anybody give a comment on this whether these are legal companies or illegal companies. As government is making raids on some ISP's WE WANTED TO KNOW THE legalities

[hema]

many corporates in ITPL and some big tech companies are using VOIP services provided by vonage, dialpad.com, ecallphones, vebtel, telnet....

can anybody give a comment on this whether these are legal companies or illegal companies. As government is making raids on some ISP's WE WANTED TO KNOW THE legalities

[iffath]

Dear readers,
can any body have information about the legality of the following voip players in india.

1. vebtel
2. vonage
3. base telecom
4. primus

i dont have any info regarding it,can any body provide the legal information about the mentioned companies.

iffath
luckybuddy@rediffmail.com
nowkri@yahoo.com

[auri]

We provide VoIP in INDIA. We are exactly the same as lingo or Vonage, but the quality difference separate us from other VoIP providers. We have couple thousand customer in India, for more information contact me at auri@vonics.com

Additional information?.
Yes you do need a license to sell VoIP in India other wise they lock you up and take all hardware that you may have.
Our service works good with all the major ISP'S

Satayam,
Relieance,
BSNL,
SIFY,
TATA,
CONNECT ETC

[Shehzad]

Good information by Mr. Aswath. I think VOIP termination in india & Call initiation from india is now Legal. Can anyone comment on this ?

Thanks
Shehzad

[vinai kumar]

Dear sir/madam,

I am vinai from Hyderabad,India.I am working in ISP.I want to know the US and Gulph phone connectivties through Voip.Basically i need the information we have to register our SIP server in US or any other cuntries.If it is possible can i start any SIP provider.Please inform me how to do and what to do.

P.Vinay Kumar
Mail Id:Vinay_kp2003@yahoo.co.in

[vinai kumar]

Dear sir/madam,

I am vinai from Hyderabad,India.I am working in ISP.I want to know the US and Gulph phone connectivties through Voip.Basically i need the information we have to register our SIP server in US or any other cuntries.If it is possible can i start any SIP provider.Please inform me how to do and what to do.

P.Vinay Kumar
Mail Id:Vinay_kp2003@yahoo.co.in

[Sudhanshu Bhasin]

Hi fellows,

My understanding states that Indian Operators should get mature now.

Any call "originating from a protocal" VOIP and terminating into the another PSTN network outside India and payment is made at a cheaper rate then its not ILLEGAL.

Operators in US & Canada are sensible enough to understand this terminology.

What happens when we are being charged for a local call in our own network.

In US and Canada, a person pays a monthly of Rs 400-600 (Approx) and they get unlimited local calling in their Province(State)

Also for a long distance call (STD) they hardly pay Rs 2.00 (including tax).

Look at us,we pay for local calls (Rs 1.20)
Even if I was to call my neighbours next to my house and somwhere around Rs 4 to Rs 6 for a long distance.

Now the operators are having a taste of VOIP Technology.

But,any call originating from a protocal thats a Voice over Internet Protocal and ending into a PSTN network and payment is made for the same but at a cheap price then its not illegal.

Any comments or further queries mail me at sudhanshu.bhasin@touchtelindia.net

[ipphone]

termination illegal in india

[IP MAN]

TERMINATION ILLEGAL BUSINESS IN INDIA.

[CR Sunil]

Sir,

I would like to know in detail about the VIOP process to make call from India to abroad. Well am writing to from Hyderabad and I have 4 net cafes... to make any itnernational call we use calling cards... but the voice and cost they are nto suitable for my customers as i want to introduce unlimited pakage for net to phoen customers via using ur VOIP technology, if got any process of making call unlimtedly via VOIP with the facility of conferenceing please get back to me in details.

Thanking you,

Sunil CR.

[ashraf]

Dear sir,

I have a multi-business net work in Kerala,(India) I am a leading Tele - conferencing agent to K.S.A, Oman and Quter from India.There are so many Agent in same field I major portion of all Such agents are being (75%) used the PSTN lines and the rest (25%) using VOIP.But the problem is it is enough Success .here in used 5-6 companies service Even though voice is enough clear it is very delay(latency).that itself is why voice could not lead the VOIP that is using with using ATA(gatway) in e broad bind line .
Eventhoufgh the Kerla is a small state.here is 28 crore’s ISD Calls turnover monthly,with including PSTN & VOIP . I could learn from my experience that the VOIP is very delay. So can you give any solution with much clear and delay less? Inform me soon. I can guarantee a good business .then Now a days many American Companies are looking in to Kerala , as result one
American company is launched already with CALL BACK solution.Which ever the solution no problem but the customer must be 100% satisfied that’s all.It is our victory.I can guarantee I crore monthly turn over with in 3 to 4 month it self only if you after 100% satisfied fine. Our need is for making ISD calls to K.S.A,Oman, and QUTAR.
Currently all companies conference offer rates are KSA-7/-to 8.5/per minuts
Oman, Quter 7.5/- to 8.5/- minutes.
Their regular rates are more than the above mentioned rats. Above mentioned rates are the bonus rtes the Specially for conferencing.
I could know that the delay can be avoided by adopting CDMA Technology with VOIP.inform me as Soon as possible your rats to KSA Oman and Qatar and the Technology you adopted expecting . immediate reply
With regards
Ashraf Villan
Kerala
919847179090
mobilindiav@rediffmail.com

[Aswath]

This is my understanding of Indian regulation regarding VoIP:
1. End-to-end VoIP is NOT regulated.
2. VoIP originating within India, but terminating outside India is not regulated.
3. A VoIP call that terminates (independent of origin) but terminates in Indian PSTN is tariffed on a two-tier basis.

This is in line with CRTC ruling and what I predict the FCC ruling will be. Many other countries have similar ruling. Many news outlets find it attractive to headline this to be against VoIP (including a representative from a leading VoIP provider in the recent FCC forum), whereas this is a logical way to avoid arbitrage play. Since end-to-end VoIP is unregulated, "efficient communication" is unhindered.

Many, like you did in this post, point out that IP is borderless. But the regulation is regarding interconnecting to PSTN, which has clearly defined boundaries.