I think the problem here is understanding the law. VOIP per say is not illegal provided you are not using it to originate or terminate international voice traffic. The law stipulates that only MTN and UTL are allowed to originate or terminate international voice traffic.
Now I know there was one or two other licences that allowed for international voice but this was for private or corporate use. As per private VOIP I do not believe theirs a law against that. You will only break the law if you decide to sell/terminate the voice traffic into another network. I actually attended an interesting tutorial at Afnog in Dakar by Sunday Folayan from Nigeria who has built an interesting VOIP network using Asterisk. So well if we want to start a popular movement get asterisk on your respective servers, agree a dial plan and what do you have an interesting user group network running over IP. Then again why go through all that you could always just skype!! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Lunghabo James Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 10:48 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: lug_: VOIP in Uganda Hello Luggers Below is an interesting note on the status of VOIP in Uganda. A legislator in our parliament just assured us that it is not illegal. So can I see some smiles on your faces ? Wire -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [i-network] Re: FW: US mood about outsourcing From: "Johnson Nkuuhe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, June 25, 2004 5:05 pm To: "Lunghabo James" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "I-Network Uganda" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello All, VOIP is not illegal, and in fact UCC has asked people to use it and see who can sustain a case in court against the user. Please go ahead, and the people to come after you will be MTN and UTL, not UCC. UCC will be your allies. Sincerely, Johnson N -----Original Message----- From: Lunghabo James [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 25 June 2004 09:10 To: I-Network Uganda Subject: [i-network] Re: FW: US mood about outsourcing Members With such realities in the US market, Outsourcing would have been a darling industry for Uganda(ns) by now. However without wanting to be a messenger of bad news, Tanzania and Rwanda are currently the most ideal outsourcing locations in East Africa especially as regards Voice and International Data Gateway related services are concerned. I just dont see any one thinking about Uganda in the near future until some of these crucial issues are ironed out by the legislators. By and large, UIA has tried to tout Outsourcing as the next big thing in this country but its efforts are shot down by regulators. By the way can someone please inform us whether Voice Over IP is illegal in Uganda? What I mean is that can UCC sustain a battle in court if they found some one using the technology? With my little knowledge, I have been informed that VOIP lies in the grey areas (undefined). So its not exactly illegal. Hon Nkuuhe, what is the situation like? Wire >From the keyboard of John Musajjakawa > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Fred Ddungu [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 24 June 2004 17:06 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: US mood about outsourcing > > John, > I would like you to understand the mood about outsourcing in US today > it's Read news below. > > > A Bush administration official says the U.S. can best protect IT jobs > by investing in training and education and not by enacting legislation > to prohibit offshore outsourcing. > By Paul McDougall June 24 2004 > > > A Bush administration official Wednesday said the U.S. can best > protect IT jobs by investing in training and education and not by > enacting legislation that would prohibit offshore outsourcing. "If we > embrace isolation and reject working with the rest of the world, it > will be to our detriment," said Phillip Bond, under secretary of > commerce for technology. Bond was speaking at a panel on offshore > outsourcing in New York City sponsored by the Information Technology > Association of America, a trade group representing high-tech > manufacturers, who generally oppose limits on offshoring. > > Bond said the Bush administration is focused on creating a business > and educational environment that will foster the growth of high-tech > jobs. He said the president favors a permanent research and > development tax credit under which businesses could write off a > portion of expenses related to research. Bond also said the > administration wants to create programs that inspire more school > children--particularly girls--with an interest in science and > technology at an early age. "We lose the women in middle school. We > have to stop losing one-half of our talent pool," Bond said. > > To date, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has sent mixed > signals on his view on offshoring. He's said that U.S. federal > contracts should be performed "where possible" by U.S. workers. He's > also said he favors laws that would require U.S. companies that > provide customer service from offshore locations to tell consumers > they are doing so. > > The issue of offshoring is bound to become more politicized as the > November elections draw closer. At present, 37 states have legislation > pending that would prohibit sending state contracts offshore. Some > state CIOs, however, feel that budget cuts have forced them to > consider offshoring as a practical way to deliver services to > residents while controlling costs. Last year, cuts forced the state of > Connecticut to reduce its IT staff by 20%. As a result, state CIO Rock > Regan says he's looked at offshore outsourcing as a way to fill his IT > labor gap. > > Widespread anti-offshoring sentiment, however, has forced Regan to > proceed cautiously when evaluating outsourcing options. "We do things > very quietly. We do things under the radar," said Regan, speaking at > today's panel. Regan downplays concerns that offshoring could > compromise residents' security or privacy. "It's no different from > dealing with a vendor in the U.S.," Regan said. "It's irrelevant where > people are doing the work." > > > Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, IICD, > OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank --- You are currently subscribed to > i-network as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a > blank email to %%email.unsub%% -- Wire Lunghabo James Linux Solutions Kampala, Uganda 256-31-263033 (Office) 256-71-726609 (Cell) Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, IICD, OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank --- You are currently subscribed to i-network as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Wire Lunghabo James Linux Solutions Kampala, Uganda 256-31-263033 (Office) 256-71-726609 (Cell) --------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug --------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
