Lebanon: Outrage over Blocking of VoIP

As of yesterday May31 Ogero is blocking all Voice Over IP ports. Meaning any device using VOIP such as MagicJack, Linksys or Cisco VOIP boxes are all being blocked, as well as some SoftPhone VOIP services such as RingCentral and many others.

If I'm not wrong, telecommunications alone provides the single largest revenue stream for the government. Is it any wonder, therefore, that efforts are now being made to curtail the inroads of VoIP alternatives to exorbitant calling rates?

So, who benefits from this law, anyway? Why, it's none other than Alfa and MTC, which have a virtual monopoly on the telecoms market! And don't forget the government can collect all of those taxes that wouldn't be collected when people use VoIP for free or reduced rates!

Despite the assumed profit motive behind the enforcement of this law, postulated to be motivated by Lebanon's imminent fibre-optic upgrades, which will enhance internet speed thus making VoIP services more stable and reducing telecoms revenue, many are still baffled by the move.Qifa Nabki questions the logic of the move:

I have to wonder, though: what's the angle? Even by the standards of this lousy government, doing away with services like Skype will be a deeply unpopular move. As Atalla attests in his piece for the Daily Star, the proposed ban has already enraged business people and entrepreneurs who are trying to compete in an increasingly global market. Students and other young professionals (who generally provide the energy and muscle for any political movement in Lebanon) are up in arms. And, most importantly, this has the potential to further alienate the most important constituency of all: Lebanese expatriates living abroad.

The communication infrastructure here in Lebanon

My question to those regulating the communication infrastructure here in Lebanon, why block the ports when you can surely deploy your own services to provide competition to companies and services such as Skype, Gizmo5, and so on? Innovation and tech doesn't progress when it is overly regulated, eliminating the competition and forcing people to make expensive phone calls won't win you any love, awards, or loyalty; people will just find ways around your ban.