Business | Telecoms
Etisalat may launch internet telephony
Etisalat, which has curbed the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, is likely to reverse its stand as the telecom sector liberalises.
- By Mohammad Ezz Al Deen, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 May 23, 2006
- VoIP allows subscribers to make telephone calls using a computer over a data network like the Internet.
- One way to make a VoIP call is to pick up phone and dial the number, using an adaptor that connects to high-speed Internet connection. The phone call goes over the Internet to the called party's local telephone company for the completion of the call.
- A microphone plugged into a computer can be used instead. The number is dialled using the keyboard and is routed through your cable modem. A broadband connection is preferred.
- Some VoIP providers offer their services for free, typically for calls to other service subscribers.
- Some VoIP providers charge for long distance calls to numbers outside the calling area, similar to traditional telephone services. Other VoIP providers permit calls to anywhere at a flat rate for a fixed number of minutes. VoIP providers may permit users to select an area code different from the area in which they live.
- Many VoIP plans allow users to talk for as long as they want with any person in the world. One can also talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost.
Dubai: Etisalat, which has curbed the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, is likely to reverse its stand as the telecom sector liberalises.
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This will drastically reduce communication costs, as most middle-class consumers in the UAE suffer from high telephone bills.
The company has commissioned a study on VoIP, an Etisalat official, who requested anonymity, told Gulf News yesterday,
It could materialise before the end of the year, after approval from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), he added.
"We are studying the possibility of allowing the use of VoIP in future after we guarantee the quality and security of the service," the official said.
Only TRA can legalise new services. "TRA now has the authority to let the providers introduce the VoIP service directly or other companies," he said.
Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, TRA director-general, said the authority is still studying the possibility of introducing Internet services through private companies like cybercafes.
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