South Korea Says No More Vonage For US Soldiers?
from the say-what? dept
John has pointed us to a fairly confusing article in the U.S. military publications Stars & Stripes, claiming that U.S. military personnel in South Korea can no longer sign up for U.S.-based VoIP service plans, and will be required to sign up for equivalent service from South Korean providers. The details, however, are extremely unclear. It seems to suggest that as long as you registered before last Thursday, you could keep making calls -- though, they probably mean that you could only make calls until last Thursday (at least that's how a different report characterizes the ban). It's also not at all clear how South Korea will go about blocking these "unauthorized" US VoIP providers from working in the country (and, if the US VoIP providers were smart, they'd start adding some trickery to make it a lot harder to figure out that their packets were VoIP related). All in all, though, this seems like a protectionist tactic to pump up local Korean VoIP firms. So much for free trade, huh?![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Free...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Nice...
I left USFOR KOREA 2 years ago and Vonage helped stay in touch with the family during the 12 months.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
How and Why
Certain S. Korean phone companies have contracts with the U.S. bases here in S. Korea. They provide phone, internet, and in some cases, TV services to service men and women who reside on the bases.
This is of course, a large cash cow for them, esp. in the area of phone calls, because they can charge those soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, for making phone calls back to the states.
Soldiers want to be able to call home to their families and friends. Since soldiers are human, they tend to choose the most efficient and cost effective means available and are normally only willing to pay more for a service if it provides a perceived or needed benefit, or better quality.
S. Korean companies have been slow to jump on the VOIP bandwagon and are just now realizing how much money they have been losing to US Based VOIP, so now they are forcing the military's hand here.
Additionally, the S. Korean companies are charging 2x the price for making VOIP calls back to the states that US based VOIP services provide, and they don't provide a US based local number for families to call. This is of course, ridiculous.
GEN Bell should tell the S. Korean VOIP providers (which are actually full fledged phone companies here who are losing money to VOIP in the states because most soldiers are no longer using normal land base phone lines and US based VOIP is cheaper) to go get bent and kick them off the bases. Then he should tell the S. Koreans that he is going to withdraw all troops from S. Korea. He's threatened it before and gotten what he wants. He should do it again.
S. Korean phone companies and VOIP service providers are trying to hold the U.S. service men and women hostage. They don't care about providing a service - they just want the allmighty American dollar - and they don't care how they go about getting it as long as it makes them money.
If this happened in the states (say AT&T tried to get legislation passed in GA so that they were the only authorized company to provide long distance) there would be riots and people would be getting fired and legislators would find themselves being impeached or voted out of office!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
I use voicepulse here in Japan, and love it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
If you don't like it, get out of there.
I'd like to see how these very same people would answer to Antigua re: the gambling dispute, where the US is very clearly in the wrong and yet insists on screwing every other country and tossing WTO agreements to hell when it doesn't suit them.
http://seoblackhat.com/2006/09/05/wto-internet-gambling-law/
[ link to this | view in thread ]
VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
#6 and #7
#7...the USA doen not own the world. But why is it the responsibilty for the USA to support anyone outside the USA..just because why ?? Your last senetncs is a waste.
I believe the USA should start cutting back on the "world domination" and do more to increase the standard of living within the USA. Instead of supporting, and being accused of trying to "dominate" the world, other activities should be undertaken to redus the USA depending on foreign businesses, most notably, Mid East Oil and Far Est electronics.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: #6 and #7
read the UCMJ or the army code of conduct some time. convicted criminals have way more rights than soldiers do.
telephone companies in the USA, germany. korea and presumably every place else the US occupies have been screwing soldiers for years. it was that way when i was in the army in the 90's and it will be that way 5 generations from now.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Most people in the service know that, if they have a friend that is a base operator, can get them a call home for free.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
Korean internet...We are utilizing their lines and paying an exorbitant amount already just to surf.
What is the difference between say...mass dl'ing and WoW...and VoIP?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
reply to all y'all folks
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Troops
Can we blame them for Iraq now?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
VPN baby
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: VOIP
Besides, we all know inmates don't make any or very little money, so whether they call collect or pay the charges themselves (with money from loved ones), it's ultimately their loved ones, who quite likely did not commit crimes who have to pay for it.
PS: the effort required to monitor the calls differs very little between the two methods. How can you be so naive to believe/think that might be the reason, and not the kickback the jails are getting???
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
To force these service men and women to use the local infrastructure, just because they can't compete is ridiculous. It's a global market, not a positional one. I personally will be writing my congressman about this.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
Are you stupid? What are GI's supposed to do - there are more than 30000 US troops stationed here in S. Korea. All 30000 are supposed to make "friends" with the few (about 10 or so per base) operators there?
Ha. Get real. Fact is this: We are allowed ONE 10 minute call home on the governement dime a week - ONE. For 10 Minutes.
VOIP is a cheap alternative, and if you are paying for UNLIMITED bandwidth for your computer, and want to use a VOIP service in the US, you should be able to use it, ESP. since it is CHEAPER than the crappy service the S. Korean's have ATM, provides better service, and also ALLLOWS families at HOME to CALL their LOVED ONES HERE for FREE if the servicemember has a local VOIP number!
S. Korean VOIP server providers are simply trying to gouge money out of the troops, because they are ALSO the same providers for POTS service, and they are LOSING money because most soldiers no longer sign up for POTS at ALL.
Why should service members be force to use a service that doesn't give them what they need?
For those of you who think that we are over here and should be going along with the ROK: We are over here because they WANT us here. We are a MAJOR factor in their economy. We provide HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of US Dollars to the ROK in terms of what we buy while we are here. Many businesses that cater to the US service member would fold if we left. The ROK government knows that. And they DON'T WANT us to leave!
The current sitting president was elected in 2003 on the platform that he would force the US to reduce the number of Soldiers stationed here down to about 10000. That hasn't happened, because once he got in office, he realized just how much impact the US has on HIS country's economy.
If the S. Korean VOIP services were able to provide the same services at a fair price, I wouldn't really care, but in this case, they can't, they don't, and they won't, and they are trying to FORCE the US Service members to pay 2x the average rate for US Based VOIP just because they are in a position to try to do that. As I said, GEN Bell needs to grow some balls and tell them to kiss off.
Wolf
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No longer care...
US Forces should finally be able to leave after 50 years (quagmire!).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Service
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Service
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Way to boost morale...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Service
[ link to this | view in thread ]
I'm still on
I also don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but in order for you to get the "same" service though the horrible south koreans you would be paying 2x vonages price. On top of that you will have to buy (maybe rent) their voip hardware.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
WHY?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Any ideas
[ link to this | view in thread ]
workaround?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
workaround?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Solution
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Way to boost morale...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Vonage Blocked in S.Korea
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Response to Vonage in Korea
When they issued the base-wide e-mail saying that Vonage would be cut, most people ran out to go get Magic Jack, which is one the best things I have ever purchased. Yesterday I called LG Dacom to come disconnect my phone service for me, which I thought would be a simple task. A man came to disconnect it for me, but he gave me hell in the process. He first asked me why I wanted to disconnect service, in which I told him, I just dont want the phone anymore. It's too expensive, and my family can't even call me. Plus the phone they issued me was broken anyway, so I hadn't used it in like a month. He was telling me he could fix the phone. I said no. Then he was asking how would I use the phone, I said I have phone access, just disconnect the phone. They he saw the Magic Jack and told me that this is illegal and that he would disconnect my internet service if I was caught using it. I said fine just to get him to leave the room and take his equipment with him. But he was so nasty to me about stopping service, that I am considering disconnecting the internet as well and finding alternative means. We spend enough of our money here, we employ them in every Shop on base, and we work with the ROKAF on a daily basis, but how the customer relations are so bad, I have no clue. But I still have my Magic Jack!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
magic jack
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Yahoo Voice
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Magic Jack
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
HMmm..why didn't I think of that?
You know someone is speaking ignorantly when they forget that WE gave the freedom of leaving when we please up when we pledged to defend our nation. I'm still trying to figure out the similarities to prisioners?? I volunteered to be here, I don't know many prisioner volunteers.
And to who ever said that we are not a huge part of South Korean's economy hasn't seen my closet full of purses and shoes!!
But one note, to be fair, we are visitors over here and it is a Korean law so just like any foriegner in America would have to follow American law, we should accept the culture and ways of the Koreans while we are here.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: How and Why
My question is.. well i got a couple.
1) what is the best way to get a phone service over there?
2) What are the prices like over there.
3) What would/could happen if I go over there with a magic jack or vonage? would it still work?
Thanks again for clearing all that up. You've helped alot already
[ link to this | view in thread ]
vonage in south kroea
email me and ill tell you the answer, because i dont want these money hungry peoples knowing, and ill verify who you are just in case your the enemy......
easy for you troops just use your military email... the answer is so simple it hurts
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: vonage in south kroea
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: vonage in south kroea
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: vonage in south kroea
Eric
(SF)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Magic Jack VOIP Blockage in Korea
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: vonage in south kroea
Dennis
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: vonage in south kroea
[ link to this | view in thread ]
What works at Kunsan??
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: VOIP
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: If you don't like it, get out of there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]