PanamaPanama was the first country to declare an all-out ban on all Voice over IP communication when in 2002 the government decreed that each and every ISP in the country was to block 24 UDP ports commonly used for IP telephony. In 2004 the government did a complete U-turn and annulled the legislation banning VoIP but they introduced a 12% tax on all calls, including those made via Voice over IP.
Belize Telecommunications Limited, BelizeIn an article called 'Trouble in the tropics' Russell Shaw revealed that Belize Telecommunications Limited (BTL) were hard at work blocking VoIP providers such as Vonage and Skype as well as a raft of others. In fact BTL went so far as to block Google Talk, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! IM because they also offered voice as well as text chat.
Cable & Wireless, CaribbeanGood old Cable & Wireless are a UK-based ISP who also have a network of subsidiaries servicing the Caribbean. They were known to be blocking, or attempting to block, Voice over IP calls originating from or terminating on their network some years ago. However, it looks like they have had a change of heart and are now actively pushing their range of IP telephony services to consumers and businesses in the Caribbean..
Telmex, MexicoIn April 2005 VoIP users began to experience problems when attempting to call out via Telmex, a Mexican ISP. Vonage, Skype, DialPad and Net2Phone among other VoIP service providers were blocked. After making a few checks it appears that Telmex are still strong-arming their subscribers out of using Voice over IP.
Brasil Telecom, BrazilCurrently the incumbent telco in Brazil, Brasil Telecom, is blocking VoIP traffic using network management software called NarusInsight purchased from US-based Narus. Brasil Telecom chose the software so that they could regulate IP telephony within Brazil and stop ongoing "revenue leakage" due to VoIP.
Etisalat, UAEThe UAE's incumbent telco, Etisalat, has been well documented as an ISP that does not like VoIP. While there had been reports that telecom regulations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were about to be relaxed to allow VoIP, people in Dubai are still unable to use Skype, Vonage or any other Voice over IP service provider.
China (strict regulations on VoIP)The Chinese government have banned unregulated VoIP until 2008, presumably because of the threat posed by VoIP providers to the incumbent PSTN telcos. However, the ban does allow 6 incumbents, China Unicom, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Netcom and 2 others, to offer VoIP services. Skype is available for computer - computer calls.
Shanghai Telecom, ChinaIn July 2006 Shanghai Telecom purchased a network management system from Narus Inc. that can detect and block calls made over the internet. Skype was not blocked because the Chinese version of Skype does not connect to the PSTN, however, it has been somewhat neutered and offers only computer - computer calls.
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