ALERT: ISP Blocking VoIP Ports Again: UPDATED 04-25-05

Posts: 50 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 06, 2005 Posts: 50

I don't think I'm getting totally blocked, but throttled some how. Seems like pretty consistently 18-19 minutes into a call the other party can not hear me but I can hear them fine. Hang up and redial and things work okay again for about the same time period then other party can't hear me. Could my ISP (Charter Cable) be stopping my packets from going up? Could it be based on so many bytes being sent? Other than the predictable drop around 18 + minutes, the quality is good right up to the drop and during the drop, the receiving voice quality is good fine. How would I follow up on this theory?

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 8:09 am Post subject:

by changing your bandwidth saver to lowest assuming you have it set on 90 (medium would work but lowest will be easier to notice) and seeing how long it takes. you'll be using about 1/3 of the bandwidth of the 90kbps setting. if you're on 50, move it up and it should take less time to stop working (and more time if you select 30) etc etc

Posts: 492 · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 1:23 pm Post subject:

reebok, could you elaborate on that. I have my bandwidth saver set to 50kb/s. I don't understand what you mean by "By changing the bandwidth saver and seeing how long it takes". How long what takes?

I have been experiencing sporadic problems in calling out. The called person can't hear me. My speed tests are within my ISP's advertised line speed rates. TestYour Voip is as well as you can get out of a Voip system. DSLreports tweak test shows exemplary data transfers. The PingPlotter is as normal as you can expect even all the way to London, England. I can't find a cotton pickin thing wrong. I increased my Voice Qos Upstream rate to the default of 512kb/s. Vonage technical support didn't have a clue. I'm ready to throw in the towel except this Clearwater place may be the source of it.

Do you have any suggestions?

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:06 pm Post subject:

his theory was on bytes sent. I doubt it, but anyway, using a lower or higher encoding bitrate will equally lengthen or decrease the call duration before it goes to pot again.
I think that's extremely straight forward and logical.
I've read your issue over and over. you don't have to hijack threads over it. I have no idea what the issue is.

Posts: 51 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 51

Can anyone tell me how can I know if my ISP is blocking the VOIP ports? Is there a way to check if these VOIP ports are blocked?

Thanks
Anu

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:42 pm Post subject:

you can try this for port 69:
tftp tftp.vonage.net get test
also, I *think* testyour voip.com may give an error if you have a common voip port blocked when you try to run the test.

Posts: 51 · Full Forum Member Joined: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 51

Hi,

Will Vonage or FCC take action against International ISP like for in India if the ISP blocks Vonage?

Thanks
Anu

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject:

as much as it seems like America runs every country in the world, some actually are independent nations.

Posts: 2146

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UPDATE 04-25-05
Mexico telephone operator under VoIP fire

Broadband customers of Mexico's dominant telephone operator say the quality of their voice over Internet Protocol calls has tanked, with some alleging that Telmex is engaging in unfair business practices to block VoIP competition.

VoIP, freely available software that lets broadband connections become inexpensive home phone lines, is seen as a major threat to entrenched phone operators such as Telmex because VoIP users no longer need a local phone service; they can use their VoIP service with any broadband connection anywhere in the world.

International operators and habitues of the less urbane world of Web forums are venting about the government-owned operator's alleged practices, which they say include blocking Web sites that VoIP operators use to register new customers and perform a bulk of their customer service.

"We're definitely interested in this situation," said a White House trade official, who asked not to be named. "Telmex has had a long pattern of engaging in anti-competitive behavior."

In a March report, the White House's Office of the U.S. Trade Representative wrote: "Uncertainty regarding the treatment of voice over Internet Protocol services in Mexico is cause for concern. Irrespective of the merits of Telmex's ambitions, restrictions on the ability of any entity, foreign or domestic, to supply VoIP appears inappropriate."

Telmex did not respond to a phone call and an e-mail seeking comment on the situation.

Caller complaints escalate
The Telmex VoIP situation has grown since mid-March, when the company's broadband customers say the quality of their third-party voice over Internet Protocol calls began eroding to what are now unbearable levels, according to e-mail interviews with VoIP customers who routinely call in and out of Mexico.

VoIP operators are running into an alleged problem typical in countries where there's one phone company owned by the government--such as Qatar, Costa Rica and Panama--or privately owned and with enormous sway over regulators. In Mexico, the former government-owned Telmex remains dominant because the Federal Telecommunications Commission lets complaints from foreign competitors linger without resolution for years; and its recommended enforcement is rarely meted by the nation's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, according to the USTR.

Skype spokeswoman Kelly Larabee said the company has confirmed its Web site is being blocked in areas served by Telmex, but said the cause was unclear.

"We encourage all Telmex broadband subscribers to contact their ISP and demand the open access they pay for," Larabee said. She stressed that Skype does not know whether the Web site access issue is deliberate, or a temporary glitch Telmex is unaware of.

This may be happening because Telmex allegedly identifies VoIP users based on the kind of traffic they send, then chokes their bandwidth to disrupt the calls, said Brooke Schulz, a spokeswoman for U.S. Net phone provider Vonage. Telmex is also allegedly blocking access to Net phone Web sites, including that of Skype, the world's most popular VoIP service, Skype says it has confirmed. By blocking the site, Telmex could prevent potential Skype users from signing up, and existing Skype users wouldn't be able to replenish minutes on their prepaid calling cards or order other premium services.

"We're working on exercising our options with the U.S. trade representative," Schulz said. "However, because we're not a Mexican company, we have little leverage with the Mexican regulator. But we're doing everything we can."
vonage-forum.com/article1795.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="postlink">Mexico Phone Operator Telmex Blocking VoIP Traffic And Websites