Vonage not active in Dubai, U.A.E. Probable ISP block.

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 20

hey fellow etisalat victims,

first of all, please advise all those in your household (including those that typically receive your Vonage phone calls in other countries) to sign the petition, as this affects everyone involved. This way, the number should sky rocket very quickly to a substantial amount (say 100-200) so that srmillar can forward it to 7days or whoever....

secondly, i agree that any threatening website will quickly be blocked by etisalat, and although they appear to have regulated our ports (for those who use DIC/TECOM), I am not aware of a single website blocked by DIC/TECOM. So, keeping in mind that many Vonage subscribers reside in areas services by DIC/TECOM, I think it's fairgame to start a website/forum project dedicated to this cause. And I also agree with jumanji that the site/forum can be expanded to discuss other issues and constraints imposed by local authorities on expatriates. Bottom line, this isn't a democracy and we're all foreigners, but we make up 80+% of the population in this town and should have some say, if perhaps we utilize the internet to create unity and express our views collectively we may get some changes done... lemme know what you guys think

Posts: 20 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 20

oh, and i forgot to mention in my last post... perhaps the main post-ers on this forum (namely ragga, jumanji, srmillar, etc...) should get together in person for coffee sometime so we can discuss our options and solutions... and i'm also guessing we reside within close proximity of each other as we're all DIC customers....again, lemme know what you guys think, i'll gladly PM you guys my cell number, but i'm only in town till wed (then not due to return til dec, still got a year of uni to finish up Embarassed

) Maybe tomorrow is a good day? it's off for most people cause of the public holiday....

Posts: 59 · Full Forum Member Joined: Aug 16, 2006 Posts: 59

I am perfectly ok with this, call me mohammad... jumanji i think you have my cell too...

Posts: 10 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 10

20 signatures.... lets get hundreds!

http://www.petitiononline.com/uaevoip/

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 15, 2006 Posts: 3

Just signed the petition. I hope this does something. I was wondering if someone or even I could go to the Etisalat office and talk to the head guy there....perhaps ring his neck while I'm at it. No but seriously, is there a way to set up a meeting with Etisalat to solve this situation QUICKLY!!! Clearly DIC can't do a damn thing, since they are b--ches to Etisalat. So I think we need to start pressuring the main culprit.

Also are there any suggestions on being able to remedy skype for now. I heard some people can still use it. Unless I'm mistaken. Anyway, keep the updates coming guys.

Posts: 59 · Full Forum Member Joined: Aug 16, 2006 Posts: 59

signed....

Posts: 24 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 15, 2006 Posts: 24

well done guys for setting this petition up

Regarding Skype - it still works - just not as well. For example SkypeIn -the one where you can get a local number in US and UK has become hopekess with people calling me unable to connect or I cannot hear them. Most of the time its goes into voicemail

However, I have had a better degree of success with PC to PC calls or calls I make from my PC to fixed line - but not fixed line (via SkypeIn) to my PC

In any case, this is really suffocating my ability to manage my business and I am really hacked off. Just arrived in Dubai a month ago and thinking of going back

I have spent the day trying to get a technical work around this problem (using VPN) and have not had much success. I am convinced there is a solution but it probably needs someone with more experience to do it

Guess what - the ports for VPN are also blocked. God knows where I have arrived at, let there be hope!

Posts: 24 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 15, 2006 Posts: 24

update on my attempt to vpn this Vonage

it nof for the faint hearted. My second wireless router wont work any more. I was making changes for it to negiotate a PPTP connection for a VPN. Unfortunately its now gone kapput and wont even reset or talk to my computer

I bought it from Plug in a couple of weeks ago, will have to give it back

Dont try this - its not worth aggro - spent the whole doing this with no results

Bottom line - there is little way around this and too much hassle

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 20, 2006 Posts: 6

Guys Can somebody please send me some info about the fix also. I am sitting in the US but family is still in Dubai. I have no problem giving my US cell to Ragga/ Jumanji etc. Hope u all have a good day.

Regards,

QCO

Posts: 11 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Aug 21, 2006 Posts: 11

I am also a victom of this stupid block. I called DIC and I don't believe them. I am afraid they will drag on by giving false timelines until we give up, leave the country, after all, only 50-90 probably complained. However, can you imagine the amount if money this so called NEW MONOPOLY (DU>ETIS) will make by blocking even the basic Yahoo and MSN. not to mention Vonage. Hay, they will sell us all out for a dollar, not millions!!

I hope we are all wrong and that it is true that they will give us FREEDOM soon.