Stealing Kuwait’s Telephone Resources?
From the August 6 Arab Times:
(Once again, the government is getting tough on crime. The 23rd richest country in the world is worried about losing the revenue from poor Indians calling home and people using the internet to call their friends and family:)
KUWAIT CITY: Four government bodies — the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Communications, Kuwait Municipality and General Customs Department — have agreed to launch a joint inspection campaign against all illegal international call operators, reports Al-Jareeda daily. Reportedly, they obtained permission from the Public Prosecution to raid all suspected houses and shops conducting such illegal operations and arrest all those involved in the trade. They will also issue citations to people who illegally obtain a landline connection. According to sources, stealing international telephone lines amounts to stealing public funds and culprits will be suitably punished. A security committee too has been formed to follow-up and investigate all such thefts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications is planning to engage international companies to study and find ways to overcome illegal calling through internet. Kuwait considers such internet facilities an infringement of its resources and intends to safeguard its rights. In another development, sources say Kuwait will become the first country to have fully installed the optic fiber communication network. Government had earmarked a budget of KD 36 million for the first phase and another KD 80 million for the second phase of the project. Also, telephone connections will be available by next year in three new areas — Ashbiliya, Sabah Al-Naser and Abdullah Al-Mubarak areas.
Meanwhile, Director General of General Customs Department Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Ghanim says his department has been foiling all attempts to smuggle equipments used for stealing telephone lines.
Reportedly, the Ministry of Communications earlier showed department officials the kind of equipment needed to steal telephone lines and “the department has been working hard to foil all smuggling attempts,” he added.
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I don’t understand what the big fuss is anyway. And it’s not just expats who will suffer it’s us Kuwaitis too! I hope to God they fail in implementing this no internet calls thing because calling the US using the landline/cell phone is rediculously expensive.
From india to kuwait they are charging only FIFTY fils while kuwait telecommunicaiton charging 300 fils. When this morons will realize that if they reduce their price to half then no one will go for illigal calls.
You are right, Zin, everyone suffers. The VOIP phones are everywhere. In every country. They may be able to find ways to eliminate them temporarily, but they don’t stay eliminated; there are always work-arounds. I mean – it’s the NET!
In Qatar, they found a way to eliminate Skype and Vonage, but the ambassadors of all the countries protested, and the government allowed them again, for humanitarian reasons. The expat labor force in Qatar is about 90% of the population! And they have a government monopoly on all telephony there – mobile, land lines – QTel is making a fortune, they didn’t need our puny little internet calls!
Lord have mercy, 50 fils vs 300 fils? Sounds like Kuwait needs some Indian consultants to help them bring the prices DOWN! 🙂 I remember there are also some infrastructure things here – not all areas are even wired for land lines. The communications need some serious work. And the mobiles – man, don’t even get me started. I’ve gotten so i expect wrong numbers.
Well ALHAMDULILLAH….finally we get phonelines (according to the article you posted) in my area!
(we were told by January 2007. HMMM….)
Holy Smokes, Huda! The lines are still not in??
I’ve been hearing that the ministry has been pressuring ISPs to block all kinds of VoIP applications (especially Skype.) This certainly doesn’t look good 😦
What equipment do you need for “illegal” calls through the internet? A PC and a headset? I think this has passed the “stupid” boundary now.
And my experience is that the service providers like Skype will engineer work-arounds faster than the expensive software the MOC will buy can evolve to catch them!
This policy effects everyone, across the board, all the families with students abroad, all the expat labor force, business people transiting Kuwait – and it makes a generous people look small and greedy, far from the reality. Why would they persue such a silly policy? You are right, Bojacob, that train has left the station.
from india to kuwait telecommucation charges 300 fils.this is more for poor indians and bangladesh,so people are going to illigal.government never control illigal internets,because kuwait telecommunication charges not reduces till to now. government must realise about charges.then no one go illigal.
Sorry to Say,
but kuwait is worst country in all ways, first worst nation kuwaities takes thousand of dinars from a Foreigner to give visa, and then take thousands of Dinars to give him Residency, and then never pay them thier wage, and sh.t government allow thier nationals to behave as they like with Foreigner and they keep punishing him all the time, Foreigner have no right at all, kuwaities say they are superior to all nations in kuwait except thier fathers i mean americans,
so guys if u can earn good in ur country or any other country (out of arabs) then dont waste time to think just move on and make ur future, dont spoil ur future in this sh.t country, these people were not having one time meal before few decas, just cause of a black gold they have for few time they think they are superior but reality is when kuwait time will come, they wont have way to run, every nation will just kick thier asses, kuwaities u read it and i bet u will have kicks soon.
An American.
Kharji, I don’t know who you are, but your writing tells me you are NOT an American. You really need to get your own blog, buddy, with all the axes you have to grind.