The sensibilities of diplomacy can sometimes go to ridiculous extents. We have heard how a certain office of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs used to collect newspaper clippings and classify and file them as confidential. It is difficult to believe that such practice originated and ends with the Indian bureaucrats; they have themselves had their basic lessons in diplomacy and governance learnt from their colonial masters. So, the chances are that it is a universal practice. The system of storage and retrieval may have changed over time, but it is very unlikely that the practice itself has ended.

Something very similar and funny is happening in the realm of VoIP-powered cheap internet phone calls. When apps that offer this feature are a dime a dozen, and also available on a variety of platforms and operating systems to whosoever seeks them, the region’s official telecom operators are ‘very selectively’ offering special VoIP calling cards, priced at ridiculously high rates: their own version of ‘cheap’.

Take a look at the latest offer from Porton Group, a technology commercialisation firm, reportedly available for subscription locally: $3 (Dh11) per month for unlimited VoIP internet calls and messaging services to any place across the world. Skype is priced at around the same levels, although there is a restriction on the number of minutes available. For instance, the Skype rates for the subcontinent start from $1.79 (Dh6.50) per month for 60 minutes, $3.39 (Dh12.40) per month for 120 minutes to $24.49 (Dh90) for 2500 minutes.

Then there are scores of illegal cards sold by small shops and groceries, priced in the 30s and offering 600 minutes and upwards without any time restrictions. Compare this to the VoIP calling cards sold by the official telecom operators: 40 fils per minute, available in cards of the denomination of Dh30 and above.

Obviously, there is a disconnect between the two sides, although it would be unfair to put the blame entirely at the doors of the official telecom operators. To the extent that they are liable to play the game by the rules set by the regulatory authority, they can be given a certain allowance, but the fact remains that they have been beneficiaries of the discredited policy.

There can’t be two opinions about the complete disconnect between the regulatory authority and the evolving technologies in this area and therefore the desperate need for an upgrade in its ‘operating system’ and working environment. It is like trying to run the latest apps based on Android or other platforms on a machine powered by Windows 98. Either the program won’t work or the system will crash. Most probably, it is the latter that happens.

There is apparently much confusion about access to Skype and other websites offering cheap internet calls. According to the regulatory policy, access to all websites offering cheap calls is banned in the UAE, but it has been reported that users are able to selectively access Skype and similar services on both etisalat and du networks. Even before such access was allowed, a variety of high-profile devices running apps could sidestep the restrictions and bring cheap or free voice calls to their owners. The technology in this respect is evolving so fast that catching up is indeed an impossible task for the official agencies. What does one expect if the ‘operating system’ itself is outdated?

The regulatory authorities as well as the telecom operators have to accept the fact that the present business model is predominantly based on the concept of disadvantage and that it is not sustainable any longer. They have to recognise that the their traditional role as being the voice carrier, a cash cow for the best part of their existence, is facing extinction and that they have to develop new roles if they hope to remain in business.

As long as technology keeps striving to empower disadvantaged sections of customers, any business model that seeks to benefit from disadvantages and disabilities has no chance of survival.