Ruling on VoIP expected to deal fatal blow to operators

Press reports indicate that the Telecommunications Regulatory Office (URT) is about to declare Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to be a voice, and not an Internet, service. Unofficial sources quoted by Puls Biznesu say such a ruling would deal a fatal blow to the independent VoIP market, believed to be worth over $60 million annually. VoIP, a service that offers cheap telephone communication, is currently provided by around a dozen independent operators across the country. If the Puls Biznesu report proves to be accurate, all would have to close their business, thus leaving Telekomunikacja Polska (TPSA) to enjoy a monopoly over international telephone calls until at least next year. URT representatives refused to comment on the report before the release of official information. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) M.K.