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

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 15, 2006 Posts: 2

I have two Vonage accounts - one being used in the states and the other (was!!) being used in Dubai - like all of you, it has stopped working around 2-3 weeks ago when the greedy government owned ISP in UAE decided to block it along with even the actual Vonage website. Originally we had switched from MSN, Yahoo and Skype to Vonage out of the convenience of being able to use a phone to make phone calls insead of making PC to PC calls which as all of you know ****!!

Since they blocked Vonage, they somehow managed to block the MSN, Yahoo and Skype - you can chat by typing back and forth - but thats about it! No softphones are going to work - Vonage or otherwise! (so Bobcat - sorry to be the one to break the news to you buddy, but there's now way around it right now!)....

I have been following this discussion for a few days now in the hopes that someone has more intelligence and knowledge than the rest of us has a solution to this. I think the VPN solution sounds like it might make sense - but how do we actually set it up? I know that it requires two VPN capable routers one here and one there to make the VPN tunnel - but what i havent been able to figure out, is whether sending my family a router from here will work - in other words, does etisalat have to set up the router (allow it access) from their end? doesnt that mean that they have to be the ones that sold it - with their MAC numbers? Can someone explain that to me? Are routers sold openly in UAE?

Also, if someone can help me/us figure this out, i am willing to setup a server that can allow your users to VPN to it - I have unlimited access to hardware and bandwidth (US based) - just need help understanding how and what to setup!

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jul 08, 2006 Posts: 12

sides316 wrote:

I have two Vonage accounts - one being used in the states and the other (was!!) being used in Dubai - like all of you, it has stopped working around 2-3 weeks ago when the greedy government owned ISP in UAE decided to block it along with even the actual Vonage website. Originally we had switched from MSN, Yahoo and Skype to Vonage out of the convenience of being able to use a phone to make phone calls insead of making PC to PC calls which as all of you know ****!!

Since they blocked Vonage, they somehow managed to block the MSN, Yahoo and Skype - you can chat by typing back and forth - but thats about it! No softphones are going to work - Vonage or otherwise! (so Bobcat - sorry to be the one to break the news to you buddy, but there's now way around it right now!)....

I have been following this discussion for a few days now in the hopes that someone has more intelligence and knowledge than the rest of us has a solution to this. I think the VPN solution sounds like it might make sense - but how do we actually set it up? I know that it requires two VPN capable routers one here and one there to make the VPN tunnel - but what i havent been able to figure out, is whether sending my family a router from here will work - in other words, does etisalat have to set up the router (allow it access) from their end? doesnt that mean that they have to be the ones that sold it - with their MAC numbers? Can someone explain that to me? Are routers sold openly in UAE?

Also, if someone can help me/us figure this out, i am willing to setup a server that can allow your users to VPN to it - I have unlimited access to hardware and bandwidth (US based) - just need help understanding how and what to setup!

Hi side 316,

Thanks so much for your reply. So you know how to setup a server and you have unlimited access, why don't you setup one and help us bro.? Hope you will help us.

By the way, do you have any idea whether any other internet provider is going to setup internet services in, Dubai UAE? Why Iam asking you is cause you know whats going on here very well.

And also, why the Government allowed the people who live near the internet city to use the internet for a cheaper price than us and to access any site with out any blockage? Dont you think they dont loose their income ?

And we live in the same city, we cant have the previlege to use anything that our neighbors use.
bobcat

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 16, 2006 Posts: 2

According to recent articles in the paper here (Gulf News) it would appear that Etisalat, the only ISP in the UAE wants to control Voip as well as general internet. They have started by blocking any and all Voip ports they can and have successfully blocked Vonage and Skype. I would suspect that in the near future, they will offer their own hardware and you sign up with them and only them. With unlimited resources and time on their hands they are clearly eliminating the competition and will then move in and offer their own solution. Let's not forget that anything other than their voice services here, either land line or on-air are illegal. Once again, we the consumer suffers. Thanks for a great service Vonage and I'll keep my phone number and carry the box with me to use wherever I can!

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 15, 2006 Posts: 2

OK - i was able to confirm it today - anyone in UAE and using Etisalat, you definitely cannot use Vonage. But if you are in UAE and are using TECOM (not sure of the spelling) you can use Vonage openly. The problem is, to use TECOM, you have to be located in the newer part of Dubai, in or near internet/media city.

Writing letters or trying to make empty threats to Vonage managment is not going to help any of us, neither will trying to write a letter to any government official or embassy - they couldnt care less if you get free long distance or not!

Can anyone explain/elaborate on the VPN/SSH setup? I really need to get something going here gang, so i appreciate any help i can get...

Thanks

Posts: 497 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Apr 29, 2005 Posts: 497

sides316 wrote:

Can anyone explain/elaborate on the VPN/SSH setup?

Check your PM.

Posts: 12 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Jul 08, 2006 Posts: 12

Stanley wrote:

According to recent articles in the paper here (Gulf News) it would appear that Etisalat, the only ISP in the UAE wants to control Voip as well as general internet. They have started by blocking any and all Voip ports they can and have successfully blocked Vonage and Skype. I would suspect that in the near future, they will offer their own hardware and you sign up with them and only them. With unlimited resources and time on their hands they are clearly eliminating the competition and will then move in and offer their own solution. Let's not forget that anything other than their voice services here, either land line or on-air are illegal. Once again, we the consumer suffers. Thanks for a great service Vonage and I'll keep my phone number and carry the box with me to use wherever I can!

Hi Stanley,

Thanks so much for your reply. But some one told me about an article in the UAE newspaper about the ISP called du is starting their service in Dubai soon. Do you know anything abt it?

But people living in some parts of Dubai use all facilities as they are using some other ISP. They are not using etisalt, so just wondering it is not illegal to allow only a particular part of dubai public to use some other provider...... that too with very cheaper price than etisalt....

bobcat.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 16, 2006 Posts: 2

Hi bobcat,
I really don't know Etisalat's schedule for introducing Voip services of their own, but they have announced it is under "study", which of course you know means they won't tell us anything until they are good and ready! As regards to other ISPs in Dubai, yes there might be others who use satellite systems, but these are usually associated with big companies and housing projects like The Greens. They have completely separate systems from Etisalat (lucky them!) and they service their entire communities through cables of their own. As a result they are not blocked in any way. However, if they start running afoul of the regulators or government, I am willing to bet they too will come under the axe.
Sorry to ramble, but without Vonage I am feeling rather isolated! In the meantime, we should still look for "workarounds" and if anyone has any bright ideas, hopefully they will post them here.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 27, 2006 Posts: 6

alright, there still exists a way how people are still using this voice over ip method of communicating. I just saw it yesterday at my friends place and he lives right across the street. His Voip is working again after etislalat blocked all services. My friend says he called his Voip service provider, im sorry im not going to name the company, but apparently its as good a company as Vonage, and they sent him a txt file with how to change the settings of his router of his internet phone, and yeah after a few hassels and two days of work now it works perfectly just as it used to. its so sad Vonage wont help us change the settings or tell us anything what we can do about this issue. Sad

and yeah etisalat is confirmed launcing its Voip services by the 1st quarter of 2007, they are ready but just waiting for government approvals. lastly du the second telecom company, i doubt is gona be of any help, cause if you didnt know its 60% owned by etisalat, if not etisalat, parts of the government anyway, so which means no price wars, only competition on basis of quality, which i think etisalat already is really good at.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 11, 2006 Posts: 7

Any further development on the tunnel to get Vonage to work? I am still experimenting with the WRV54G. No luck so far.

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 03, 2006 Posts: 3

hey
we gotta work as a team , first of all does any one know how etisalte is blocking the Vonage ,,,,i mean are they blocking the port if so then the port should be changed . how would we know if creating vpn would help

if some one knowzz way out plz post

regards