Russian Telco MTS Bans Skype, Other VoIP Services

An anonymous reader writes "MTS, one of the three largest mobile carriers in Russia, have been buying up smaller cable TV and Internet providers across the country, and besides the GSM/3G cellphone service they now also offer cable TV and home broadband Internet access. And their unified TOS [PDF] (Russian; mirror) for home broadband now says: "3.4.4. The customer may not use the Services for the purpose of transferring voice over the Internet; Skype and other similar software is forbidden." (screenshot). Really, why would you need to phone over the Internet, comrade, when you have a perfectly good cellphone [from MTS, presumably]?" Can anyone out there provide a good translation?

The origin of the ToS point

[Anonymous Coward]

First, the translation is correct enough not to care.

Second, this language got into ToS before MTS buying the cable company and it is not known to be enforced - before or after the MTS deal. Reason for this thing was to reduce the size of bribes toregulating agencies, as the previous ISP had no license for voice-over-landlines and prohibiting Skype gave them a bragaining point in the bribe negotiations. Enforcing it wa, of course, superfluous.

MTS has promised to fix the ToS. We are waiting. Well, I am not - I use and old, medium-size, nice and predictable ISP. what do I care about MTS copper internet.

Not new...

[bemymonkey]

Lots of German providers do this too (making VoIP a ToS violation), especially on plans which are for smartphones only... the big 5 gigabyte plans which allow tethering usually don't have this restriction... maybe the same is true here.

Translation:

[Alex Belits]

3.4. Network Subscriber is prohibited to:
3.4.1. Use Network Subscriber Equipment for purposes other than personal, family, home, orfor other purposes related to running a business.
3.4.2. Retransmit, perform (copy), or use radio and TV programs in any other manner (except for personal, noncommercial use by Subscriber).
3.4.3. Perform other actions listed in Part 6 "Subscriber's Rights and Obligations".
3.4.4. Use Services to transmit voice over the data networks, including transmission over the Internet, i.e. Subscriber is prohibited from using software such as Skype and similar, to transmit voice over the Internet.

Re:Not new...

[zlogic]

This rule is from MTS' fixed network ToS, and not the mobile phone disivion.

here is the text

[rim_namor]

To be honest with you, whoever wrote this, can't write proper Russian, because there is double meaning there, which I will try to untangle correctly

3.4 Clients are forbidden:
3.4.1 To use client equipment in manner that is different from personal use, family use, home use. Also clients are forbidden from using the equipment for purposes such as business.

(this sentence, combined with the top 'Clients are forbidden', made it unclear whether business use is forbidden or not, but I believe it says business use is forbidden.)

3.4.2 To redistribute (forward), (replay) copy, and use in any other manner TV and radio programs (except in cases of non-commercial use by the client).

3.4.3 To take any other action, which are defined in the section VI "the rights and obligations" (section of regulations).

(whoever wrote this, needs to have brain untangled, it's all mushed up).

3.4.4 To use these services for the purposes of transmitting voice information via the information network, including the Internet network, i.e., the client is forbidden from using such applications, as Skype and other similar applications for voice transmission over the Internet.

---

In short: you can only use this service for your personal/family purposes, not for business. You can't share TV and radio programs (there is nothing about parts of it, this was NOT written by a professional lawyer), and you can't use Skype.

AFAIC this is clearly monopoly control over the networks and trust me on this: this monopoly is completely government supported. There were many laws passed in Russia in the recent years to make sure there is as little available competition as possible.

Hey, what are governments for, right?

this is a mistake

[sol1tude]

there is no ban from MTS. there was a mistake: this is an old version of Agreement from subsidiary. nobody looks in Agreement. proof: http://habrahabr.ru/blogs/telecom/129943/ [habrahabr.ru]

Re:Not new...

[JaredOfEuropa]

Which is exactly why I am glad that, in the Netherlands at least, legislators are now set to implement Net Neutrality. This after a mobile carrier announced that they were going to block VoIP and WhatsApp because these eat too much into their traditional revenue model. It's a valid argument, but it would have been only a matter of time before such restrictions would have been placed on fixed networks as well, especially since almost all of the major ISPs here are owned by the traditional (mobile) phone operators, and most offer their own (premium) VoIP and TVoIP. They'd love to be able to block competing phone and streaming video providers, and levy a tax on "bandwidth hogs" (read: popular services) like YouTube, Facebook and Google. Some providers already had plans for this, but thankfully that particular shotgun was pointed firmly at their own feet when they touched the trigger.