some folks have been asking about troubles with vonage and skype...

Skpe was down for 3 weeks part Skype fault, part XP fault & a bit of
blockage from BTL as well. Skype however has been up for the past week &
working well on all OS platforms. Vonage is working as well, have not had
problems with that yet!

YapJack is working very well.

BTL is shutting down Vonage and all voip countrywide. They plan to offer a similiar service for alot more money, which they can do because the Govt gave them a monopoly on telecommunications. Its time to wage cyberwar on BTL, anyone know how to infiltrate their block on voip? I'm in.

"Infiltrate their block"? I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you want to hurt BTL, I appreciate your emotion, but I'm not sure it is constructive.

The techy solution is to use a third party proxy to "tunnel" your VoIP traffic through standard UDP/TCP ports (i.e. port 80 http used for web traffic). With Skype, this proxy configuration exists in the app although there are no major services advertising out there... YET. If you are using Vonage, this would require your Vonage ATA adapter to be reconfigured to use a standard port (much harder). This being said, if you are having problems with either service, use Google to search for a workaround. There are likely going to be new ways to get around ISP blocking every day.

Bottom line is BTL is going to have to wake up one of these days. Sure they need to develop their own VoIP product, but they need to make it compelling to us consumers. They cannot supress competition, they need to put a package together that makes so much sense that we all stop using the alternatives. Give us a Internet/Voice/Email/Hosting package for a reasonable price and voila, you've got a happy/growing customer base.

High speed access means more tourism, more long-term stays for telecommuters, better education and so on. The net is a utility, the applications and content one wishes to communicate are one's choice. If voters don't make this an issue, then we better prepare for BTL to make a lot more choices on what we can see or hear.

Imagine BTL blocking access to the UDP or PUP websites?!?! Imagine BTL reading your emails and IM conversations!?!

The tools they are using to block VoIP are the same tools used to track, log and report on content. ISPs that have attempted to do this in US/EU have been slammed and now part of their PR approach is to stress privacy...

My two cents.

PS My Vonage works perfectly, I have never had a problem. I cannot say the same for my BTL land line...

Personally I think you lot are very nasty people-I cannot believe that you are attacking a wonderful Belizean co. like BTL-they do their best and like everyone want to make a huge amount of money for their beloved leader (who is of course english)-it is grossly unfair for people to try and stop them making mega amounts of dosh.

"Imagine BTL reading your emails", actually they have. Just ask Sharon Matola.

imagine being able to call someone back from your cellphone without first having to edit the number b/c BTL data now includes a 1 or something...arrrgh/I'm done now.


Hooray for Simon-- a heroic death-defying jump for SAGA on Sunday!

Email Lessons Of The Day:

1) Don't use a @btl.net email address. BTL's core competency is not email, let alone secure email.

2) Use a free commercial email address, I prefer gmail (google mail) at the moment. Yahoo Mail is another good alternative. You can use any standard POP client to access your gmail account. You can move all around the world and keep the same address.

3) If you are concerned about "anybody" reading your email, use a secured connection via SSL (https), or use a PGP encrypted message.

Katie, do you think it will take a long time for them to offer their service and do you have any idea how much "a lot more" is going to be?
They should have blocked those people after providing their service.

Would DirecWay offer a solution for voip, like Vonage (bypassing BTL)?

SIN

Would DirecWay offer a solution for voip, like Vonage (bypassing BTL)?

SIN

BTL is insatiable, no reason to provide their own voip service if they can block Vonage, Skyppe. PUC addresses this after March elections, Ashcroft will sue, GOB will capitulate. Let the games begin.

In any country I have lived in except Belize their behaviour would be criminal - directors and officers would be fined or go to jail.

If they put 1/10 of the effort they use on negative activities into improving their lamentable service I'd feel a lot easier paying their extortionate charges.

wow. this certainly has created chaos today and many upset people. It is affecting many businesses, resorts, etc who actually create a lot of jobs and spend $ on the island. Would there every be a way to pay BTL to unblock individual ports for a large fee?

SIN "Would DirecWay offer a solution for voip, like Vonage (bypassing BTL)?" no it would not. The delay from the satellite is too great. And the "uplink" bandwidth on a standard Direcway or Starband connection is too narrow to allow VOIP to function correctly.

How about two tin cans and a long long string?

chris, do you have connection to island internet?

Katie! you always seem to have so much info and give us lots of good info all the time. where did you hear this, from BTL or from someone? The only reason I ask is I heard contradicting info from someone that they are having trouble with the lines and that is the issue. A friend got and made calls this morning.

Hola Crazy K, yes, I used to own Island Internet. The new owner is much better looking than me although I am much sexier in my own bald-headed, hairy-bodied, short-of-stature sort of way.

and he's hired cuter staff

I do believe the lovely Maria, hired by me, is still happily working there.

excellent ! I stand slightly corrected

... a stalwart fixture.

Direcway and VoIP, a matter of the right products, and expectations.
I'ved used a "business level" system on SP with my laptop and Skype, worked fine for several calls back home. When I got home end of Sept., Vonage no longer works, even now. Since then I've found Crystalvoicelive works better then Skype. I've heard from a contact in Mx., that Packet8 (ATA type) worked good, they've since moved to Net2Phone-voiceline. I signed up with that a week ago, so far works very well. If this comtinues, I'll be dropping my landline as this latest product works better then my cell phone service. Lantency, yes its there, but you can adjust to it on these products, better then Vonage. over..,

IS CRYSTAL VOICE OVER INTERNET?

yes,
http://www.crystalvoicelive.com/

Software product almost identical to Skype. The other two items use a ata box like Vonage does.

all voiceover internet is blocked here. crystal voice will not work either.

VERY F$@KING SCARY DAY. Not only are all VoIp lines blocked, I gave my sister my US calling cards # and pin to Call me on my Belize cell which I always use when I am in the states to call someone here on their cell...I have a full signal and neither of us can hear one another.

Um...I am like in the African jungle. Not cool.

krazk check your pm

can u resend it.

CHRIS:

I hear the owner of island internet is out of town, if you know them please tell them to get in touch with me. i would like to talk to them ASAP.

sorry krazk i will let things cool off and fix, i was not aware of the situation, i will get back to u later in the week, thanks once again, casa

casa, my applogizes. no worries, i accidently deleted your message. appreciate your message above but glad to respond to your message.

Katie and anyone else, would really appreciate knowing if you heard this by word of mouth or from BTL. My friend's vonage has worked 11pm-8am the last two days. I spent a fortune talking to mom and friend from my BZ Cell to then find out my friend's vonage works at these hrs and not during the day. I made 4 calls in a row to the US from friend's phone at 1am last night and at 6am this morning. 7AM today again off and not working. This means it is not blocked yet or else it would be all the time. Cable Co. says it is the downloading speed is not correct right now and causing the issue. Another claims they spoke to BTL and you are correct. Would like more info/story.

Vonage worked 15 mins ago, didn't work 10 mins ago. BTL spent alot of dosh on a firewall program to block voip. Licensing voip is very complicated, many countries grappling with the same issues that PUC will address here, while we figure out ways around it.

Blocking VoIP by the ISP has become very comman everywhere, not just Belize. The only alternative I know of is to use Direcway or some other vsat system like iDirect. Even Direcway changed their network last fall which affected Vonage. I belive this will be a changing market and what works today may not tomorrow.

from Steve at Coconet just now...

Those skum sucking bastards at BTL have shut down the
internet phones. The cable company is hacing trouble
with their network.

For the time being the only way to contact me will be
thru email or chat. Email is best.

Hmmm, Just came across a list of VoIP alternatives for those who are interested (I am on Direcway, and it still works - Chris, you are right, for longer conversations the delay becomes unacceptable).

BTW, MSN Messenger (7.5) has voice and video features, but they also have a Voice Clip option, that really works great! - I doubt that one is blocked on BTL.

Free Commercial VoIP clients:
Skype
VoIP Buster
Google Talk
SJphone
Firefly

Open Source VoIP Clients:
WengoPhone
OpenZoep
PhoneGaim
SIP communicator
Shtoom
sipXphone
YATE - Yet Another Telephony Engine

My thoughts exactly. Wasn't it the BTL that went on strike last Apr.? Jeez, it's always something with those folks. :rolleyes:

It might not be the best idea to publically state what still works...as if you list the programs they will try to block those too. perhaps you should take them off and those interested should PM you. Just a thought as I am worried about means of communication.

Are you in town? I am going to PM you, I have some important questions for you.

MSN does not allow you to call an actual phone # in the states, right? Just another computer? ALso, I am told Skype is not working here.

Short,
Curious, what is your upload/download service & dish size?

girl has a point about pming and posting all this information for BTL to read and see what all everyone uses. Good luck you all.

Dish: 2 feet
Download: 70 Kb/sec (have clocked higher than that though).
Upload: miserable.

Listen to you all-Big brother is watching and listening-maybe we should go back to carrier pidgeons-remember loose words cost lives-

do I agree with this man? Geesh, shock but I do. I think you're foolish to all be discussing this publically. You are risking your own privledges. Remember, that is what they are and you take that for granted. If one day you technology is taken away you will realize this as it sounds like some have. You know BTL and the cable company can look up where you are writing from and figure out who you are easy and poof, it's over.

Katie, where did you get your info, this sounds like a story based on rumors.

Anything new?

Skype is still down in PG through BTL

- We pay 200-300% higher rates for phone/ISP
- Wireline competition has been supressed by gov't meatheads
- performance is dismal
- we are already behind so many filters/NATs and generally fishy ISP practices
- now our ability to run what we want on THE LINES WE PAY FOR is being denied (albeit in a sloppy way)

WHEN DID THIS BECOME A PRIVLEDGE?

I say we talk about it more. BTL knows what they are doing. We wouldn't be talking unless they had already started blocking. They are getting confused support calls everyday.

We shouldn't hide our contempt...

What we need is a Direcway or Starband rep to join this thread and start explaining their advancements in running VoIP apps over satellite.

I found this. hope it helps someone:

http://boned.us/blog/?p=4

Why complain we pay 300% higher rates for a phoneline or internet??? "WHEN DID THIS BECOME A PRIVLEDGE" ?? It always was, you just realize it when you have issues or it is taken away.

You chose to live here. I will pay the high rates/ work with an phone issues to live here, I gave up a lot of BS stress and live in paradise. Well worth it. I had my biggest stress of the past week this morning...my milk going sour 3 days prior to expiration which happens every time if you buy the milk in the jugs that they have in the states. I really should go back to the liquid milk in the boxes.

Kra-Z-K, are you in business or just living here? Because I can tell you that being in business here is way more stressful than anywhere I've worked before. And this issue is important to many businesses - it's not just a minor irritant.

Just live here. I do not own or run a business in Belize and feel fortunate to not deal with the stresses of having to. I do not miss the stress of business back home! 12 hr work days every day to paradise is great.

My biggest stress is the milk spoiling 3 days early and having paid $7 BZ for a half gallon which I never get to finish the last 1 1/2 servings. Next biggest stress is should I go to the gym or hop on a boat.

"What we need is a Direcway or Starband rep to join this thread and start explaining their advancements in running VoIP apps over satellite"

OK, we are here.... How may we help?

Mel Berry
Houston Media Systems

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VoIP/Voice Solutions?

Vonage? The very best (but you need DSL)
SkyPE? Works best with DIRECWAY
InConnect? Best for WifI Services (also good for DIRECWAY)
Crystal Voice? Works better than SkyPe if using DIRECWAY

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DIRECWAY Info >> http://www.dbstv.com/uploads/DIRECWAY_Rates_EquiptnService.03-10-06.doc

SkyBlue Info >> http://www.dbstv.com/uploads/SkyBlue_Broadband_Rate_Card.pdf (this includes IDIRECT, ViaSat, IP Access, and IsoSat Services, both Domestic and Intertional)

SkyBlue Coverage >> http://www.dbstv.com/uploads/SkyBlue_Broadband_Coverage_Maps.pdf

StarBand Info >> no thanks, stopped selling it a couple of years ago - not recommended

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Why is this showing twice? I delete just one and both are erased. When I repost just once they both are published....

Mel Berry
Houston Media Systems
www.dbstv.com

[img]http://www.webtoastmedia.com/admin/houston_media/uploads/163__[/img]