[UK]: Skype Uses Recent Ofcom Statement to Stop MNO Blocking

 
After Ofcom presented its Net Neutrality position last week (here), in which "open internet service" does not allow for "specific services being hindered or blocked", Skype decided to act (and not wait for the consumers to do so, like the recent case in Korea - see "Complaint against SK Telecom & KT for Blocking VoIP over 3G (Using DPI)" - here).

Jean-Jacques Sahel (picture), head of European regulatory affairs at Skype, told Bloomberg" “You would expect us to be more impatient than Ofcom .. In Europe, there's still a huge amount of restrictions ..Through meeting with operators within an industry group, Skype is seeking “some sort of commitment” to retain open access to services"

Skype has longtime good relations with at least one UK MNO - see "Skype Does Good for 3UK" - here. O2 said a year ago (here) that it "wants to be able to charge content providers to offer their websites and services on its network".

As Ofcom says, and specifically for OTT VoIP services, one doesn’t need to block a service in order to make it worthless to its subscribers. See "Cisco: How does ASR 5000 Monitor and Control OTT VoIP?" - here for an example.

Article by Kenneth Wong, Robert Valpuesta - "Skype ‘Impatient' With Operators Pushes for U.K. Access" - here.