Unblock Skype in UAE Dubai, Oman, Qatar or Kuwait

How to Unblock Skype in Oman, Qatar, UAE or Kuwait

Unblock All Websites — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 07:11:08 +0000

Skype is one of the most widely used messengers in the world. It`s a software that makes calls anywhere in the world via the Internet using a mechanism called VoIP (voice over IP). You can have secure audio conversations, video conferencing or exchange text messages and all this for free, computer to computer. Skype also has the ability to make calls to land or mobile telephone lines at costs much lower than those offered by traditional telecom operators.

It`s useful and saves us money.

Anyone can have access to this service, except in certain areas of the world such as the Middle East where Internet censorship is very high. This affects all the local population, but even more the expatriates away from their country of origin that want to call home at a reasonable price.

Take the example of Qatar. Qtel, the state-owned monopoly on Internet related services is strictly monitored by ictQatar, an organization that controls Telecom Services in the country. To prevent access to sites deemed offensive Qtel uses Internet filters that block certain websites or VoIP applications like Skype. And the rules are strict: “If one lives in Qatar one must respect the rules” said Qtel.

Etisalat, the telecommunications carrier and Internet Service Provider in United Arab Emirates has also resorted to filtering Internet content, denying its users access to web sites containing “controversial” material and blocking all VoIP communication. Users get a page stating that access to the content is denied because its nature is violating “the religious, cultural, political, and moral values of UAE”. Etisalat holds, however, the monopoly on Telecom and Internet… Funny is it not?

Omantel, the first telecommunications company in Oman, is the main Internet Services Provider for the country. Omantel works closely with the Sultanate of Oman to filter Internet content deemed inappropriate and since 2009 they have been blocking Skype. The government of Oman owns a 70% share in Omantel. Same story and the list can go on…

If you are in one of these countries where the high censorship on free access to information and communication prevents you from contacting your family or friends and makes you pay dearly for the few possibilities of communication, you need a service to escape this monopoly and unblock the VoIP communication that will allow you cheap international calls, like Skype.

One such service is provided by High Speed VPN, one of the best VPN Service Providers available. With this service you can unblock all Internet restrictions, and even more no one can find out what you are doing online, for High Speed VPN ensures anonymity in terms of your IP (as it is replaced) and protection from “cyber-spies” as the content of information flowing while you are online is fully encrypted.

You can now unblock Skype and speak freely, in private, with anyone and anywhere, without any fear.

Feel free to call cheap.

Skype in China

Unblock All Websites — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:53:56 +0000

In 2007 Skype Inc. had made an agreement with China to solidify its position in the country and offer users a China-based version of the service named TOM-Skype, which is run by a joint venture between Skype and TOM Online (a unit of Hong Kong-based TOM Group Ltd).

The conversations made with TOM-Skype are being monitored, nearly one million messages were sent last year to remote servers responsible for collecting text messages and personal user information. “Users of regular Skype can be affected as well if at least one other person in the conversation is using TOM-Skype”, said Ronald Deibert, the director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

Certain users have been placed on a blacklist based on several keywords TOM-Skype is listening for, and are now being monitored by the “Online Police”.

If you travel or live in China we recommend you to use the international version of Skype for obvious privacy reasons.

In China the home page of Skype redirects to the TOM-Skype software download, but there are several ways to get the US version of Skype, like using a proxy server, a VPN Service or a P2P download.

What is Skype and where is it blocked

Unblock All Websites — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:02:36 +0000

Skype is a VoIP Application that enables users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional land-line telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system.

These fees are extremely small when compared to traditional telephony services, especially for long-distance calls. If you are traveling abroad and want to call your family back home, Skype can be a real life saver.

This creates a huge problem for several large government controlled telecommunications service providers that block such VoIP Applications in order to further enforce their monopoly and over-charge international calls.

Skype is blocked in the following countries : United Arabs Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Belize, Caribbean, Columbia, Cuba, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, South Africa .

The good news however is that you can easily unblock Skype with a VPN Service. A VPN is a encrypted tunnel between your computer and the Internet that allows you to bypass all Internet restrictions, including the block on Skype.

We recommend High Speed VPN, one of the fastest and most reliable VPN Service Providers available.