Over 250 expats deported so far for providing ‘illegal calls’;

KUWAIT CITY: A marked drop in Illegal internet telephony has been seen since the interior ministry began a crackdown campaign six months ago against such telephone operators in the country, said a ministry source, speaking to the Arab Times Monday. The interior ministry had opened a special cell to deal with the crime, as according to official information, the illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony is costing the state a loss of KD 100 million every year. “Since the crackdown began over 250 expatriates have been deported charged of running VoIP telephone services.” The source said that though illegal telephones are available everywhere in Kuwait, it’s concentrated in expatriate areas like Kheitan, Farwaniya and Salmiya.

The crime has not been totally eradicated as it is difficult to track down service providers operating from the nooks of heavily populated areas. “There should also be an awareness campaign to the public, as most see the illegal telephony as beneficial to them, and do not want to complain to the police. “If the bill to pronounce this offence as a first-degree crime gets passed in the parliament, even people who are availing the service to make calls will face severe punishment, starting from fines to deportment.” Meanwhile, the VoIP service providers have become more covert in their operations, catering to only familiar customers. A VoIP telephony source said the per-minute rate of calls have gone up following the crackdown, as many businesses have been closed. Operators don’t conduct their business openly like before, and invite customers to concealed locations to avail the service, the source added.

VoIP service converts voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. For a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination.
It is easy to set up a VoIP service, though the instruments cost a bit. A broadband internet connection, an adaptor and a specialized phone is all that is required to provide VoIP service, “which is why it is so prevalent.” VoIP is unlawful in some countries, while in many other countries, including some countries in the Middle East, it is legal. Countries where government is monopolizing telecommunications, often outlaw VoIP because it eats into state revenues.

By Valiya S. Sajjad
Arab Times Staff