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T-Mobile Releases New Card, Outlaws VoIP and IM

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the because-we-said-so dept.

An anonymous reader writes "T-Mobile has launched a new 3G data card in the UK, and banned users from using it for VoIP or instant messaging applications." From the article: "Lock cast doubt on the sustainable viability of a mobile operator banning VoIP from its network. 'I think that eventually, if there's customer demand for this, it will happen," Lock said. "Other organizations will come along allowing VoIP. Who do you think is going to win?'"

4 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. At least they're honest about it by mathmathrevolution · · Score: 4, Interesting

    TMobile says that they are doing this for business reasons up front. That's much better than inventing some legalistic bs about how blocking IM is a vital part of network security and war on terror.

  2. May I be the first to say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I would like to be the first one to say this:

    *** Screw you, T-Mobile! ***

    I do whatever I want with my hardware. I won't let a company dictate terms to me. Period. I will either find some competitor of yours, or I will hack my way through your restrictions, thumb my nose at you, and help others do the same.

    I am not alone in this. Ignore these sentiments at your peril.

  3. Almost ironic by kwiqsilver · · Score: 3, Interesting
    They're using voice over IP...on a phone line. Sure it's a digital data line, not a phone line per se, but it's almost ironc--VOIP on an analog modem, now that would be completely ironic (or is it moronic?).

    Why do people want to use VOIP to emulate a phone, when the phone has a built in phone? And why would they want to use an IM service when the phone has it built in?

    Sounds like somebody's prices aren't very competitive.

  4. 2600 anecdote by Eil · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The 2600 radio show, Off the Hook, regularly features a guy named Bernie S who calls into the show on his cell phone. They frequently discuss how voice quality of phones has dropped significantly as the cell phone networks went all digital and crammed as many conversations as they could into the smallest amount of bandwidth possible. Thus, like everyone else on a cell phone these days, Bernie's high-tech whiz-bang phone makes him sound like crap to everyone on the other end of the line.

    Evidently, his phone is one of these that you can connect to your computer and get high-speed Internet access. One day, he called into the show via Skype and they discovered that when using VoIP through the phone's Internet connection, the voice quality was FAR better than when he just calls with the phone itself. (I imagine it wasn't any cheaper, though.)

    Of course, after marveling at the voice quality, they went off into conspiracy theory land, but it makes you wonder what kind of service cell phone providers *could* be providing if they actually had an interest in providing any sort of quality to their customers.