Internet telephony company Skype has called a move to ban international telephone calls made from Egypt move through mobile internet connections anti-competitive, saying that consumers should be left to decide how the market develops.
Egyptian National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority head Amr Badawy had told Reuters that his government would ban international calls through mobile internet connections.
Skype, which has more than 500 million users worldwide, said in a statement that it was “seeking clarification” from the regulator over the reported ban.
“In general, we believe it should be up to consumers, not regulatory authorities, to choose the winners and losers in the communications space. That is what happens in competitive markets,” it said.
The ban applies to Egypt’s three mobile operators — Mobinil, Etisalat Egypt and Vodafone Egypt — offering internet access for computers via USB and other mobile modems, as well as mobile handsets. It does not apply to fixed lines.
Egyptian law requires international calls to pass through the network of state-controlled, fixed-line monopoly Telecom Egypt.
Its ban comes after the United Arab Emirates said earlier in the month it would not give Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) licences to international companies such as Skype.
Last year, a ban was recommended by Indian security agencies pending the introduction of a system to trace the calls.