An alternative to prepaid SIM cards?

snidely · 28-01-2016, 06:47

Question: why would they block voip? You'd still have to pay for data.

Comment: one advantage of using T-Mobile US to roam in China was that it enabled us to leap the great Chinese firewall. We were able to use everything we could at home. Everything from Facebook, Google, Google maps, US newspapers etc. even hotel Wi-Fi locations blocked access to much of the Internet.
Why the US, and the rest of the world, doesn't put more pressure on China to shape up is beyond me. Maybe it's because we have all shipped our manufacturing - from cell phones to kitchen goods - to China.
End of political rant.

wolfbln · 29-01-2016, 07:26

Why does Telekom/T-mobile still block VoIP in Germany?
Most European providers ban VoIP use in their T&Cs. Their IDD rates are sometimes 100 times higher and they loose revenues.
Some other providers have blocked VoIP in the past: Orange in France, KPN in the Netherlands, Telekom in Germany, Italian providers... But nowadays most carriers still simply ban it in their T&Cs without blocking the ports as this is legally tricky because of net neutrality laws in the EU.

Outside Europe/America it's because of two reasons: lost revenues for ex-state telcos and security issues. Many national secret services probably don't have means to tap VoIP. So it's totally blocked e.g. in the UAE and some Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Morocco, Comoros - all blocked). Skype uses a special interface in China to let them apply their "firewall". South Africa has opened a public hearing recently after the 2 biggest mobile providers have pushed hard for a block. So this will be around for us some time to come....

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snidely (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 451 Join Date: 09 May 2005 Location: Berkeley, California and Miami Country:	28-01-2016, 06:47 Question: why would they block voip? You'd still have to pay for data. Comment: one advantage of using T-Mobile US to roam in China was that it enabled us to leap the great Chinese firewall. We were able to use everything we could at home. Everything from Facebook, Google, Google maps, US newspapers etc. even hotel Wi-Fi locations blocked access to much of the Internet. Why the US, and the rest of the world, doesn't put more pressure on China to shape up is beyond me. Maybe it's because we have all shipped our manufacturing - from cell phones to kitchen goods - to China. End of political rant. Make use of T-M's UMA/wifi free calling from any place in the world with access to wifi. I use an LG G6, wife an S7) A/o Oct 20, 2013 no need for intl prepaid as T-Mobile U.S. includes voice roaming at 20¢/min (in and out)., unlimited text (in and out), and unlimited data in 140+ countries. My Plan -[6 lines] U.S. T-Mobile unlimited minutes (incoming and outgoing), unlimited text, fast data on each line. that $145/mo. total! . (In U.S. no surcharge for calling a cell.) If a line exceeds 2G of data in a month, pay $10 more for that line. [That only happens a couple times/year.

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wolfbln (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 206 Join Date: 14 Jul 2014 Country:	29-01-2016, 07:26 Why does Telekom/T-mobile still block VoIP in Germany? Most European providers ban VoIP use in their T&Cs. Their IDD rates are sometimes 100 times higher and they loose revenues. Some other providers have blocked VoIP in the past: Orange in France, KPN in the Netherlands, Telekom in Germany, Italian providers... But nowadays most carriers still simply ban it in their T&Cs without blocking the ports as this is legally tricky because of net neutrality laws in the EU. Outside Europe/America it's because of two reasons: lost revenues for ex-state telcos and security issues. Many national secret services probably don't have means to tap VoIP. So it's totally blocked e.g. in the UAE and some Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Morocco, Comoros - all blocked). Skype uses a special interface in China to let them apply their "firewall". South Africa has opened a public hearing recently after the 2 biggest mobile providers have pushed hard for a block. So this will be around for us some time to come.... Last edited by wolfbln; 29-01-2016 at 07:31..