Skype blocked by Vodafone MB

openviz

Hi,
I bought pre-pay mobile broadband vodafone. It works well for browsing and other stuff. Unfortunately Skype is almost unusable. Although I can log on and pick start calling, after 5 seconds of the call the voice is scrambled :mad:
Someone told me that this is a new strategy of mobile operators to not block VOIP directly but to delay detected VOIP frames to make softphones unusable.
Anyone else experienced this problem?

keithclancy

openviz wrote: »

Hi,
I bought pre-pay mobile broadband vodafone. It works well for browsing and other stuff. Unfortunately Skype is almost unusable. Although I can log on and pick start calling, after 5 seconds of the call the voice is scrambled :mad:
Someone told me that this is a new strategy of mobile operators to not block VOIP directly but to delay detected VOIP frames to make softphones unusable.
Anyone else experienced this problem?

Mobile broadband is notoriously bad for VoIP anyway as there isnt guaranteed delivery and you get lots of out of order packets. Hence lots of voice delay and garbled sound.

openviz

I had O2 mobile broadband before and VOIP worked very well for some time. The contract expired and I switched to Vodafone which is quite good in transfer and reasonable low latency so it's very surprising that it has a problem with Skype which can work on very bad lines.

Has anyone else tried it on Vodafone, O2 or others?
Thanks

Desenzano2000

openviz wrote: »

Hi,
I bought pre-pay mobile broadband vodafone. It works well for browsing and other stuff. Unfortunately Skype is almost unusable. Although I can log on and pick start calling, after 5 seconds of the call the voice is scrambled :mad:
Someone told me that this is a new strategy of mobile operators to not block VOIP directly but to delay detected VOIP frames to make softphones unusable.
Anyone else experienced this problem?

Hi Openviz,

Unfortunately for us (Vodafone clients) I think that Vodafone decided to switch off (or limit it as much as you literally can’t use it) access to VOIP services (like Skype) from 07Apr10 ( I got this date from speaking to Customer Care Rep).

On the same day for Bill Pay Customers they have introduced and add-in for 19.99. This add-in will enable Bill Pay Customers to receive a STABLE access to VOIP service (as what I understand). Prepay Ready customers don’t have this add-in option available.

They will not say to you straight what they have limited access for customers who don’t buy this add-in but in fact they did !!!

Customer Care Representative are so cheeky that he was trying to persuade me that VOIP service was newer stable and only by buying this 19.99 worth add-in you can be sure that you can access it.

This is bull$&it !!! I was using Skype for more that 2 weeks almost every day and it was working perfect in my location. Only after my trial period expired (time when you can bring back the modem with no consequences) the good quality of Skype was gone. As “openviz” explained in his first post - after 5 sec on Skype call voice is scrambled.
Vodafone was feeding me with crap that it might be Skype fault or general coverage variances. I was buying this for the first few days but then after I monitored the speed on speedtest.net I discover that speed is still 3.5 up to 4.5 Mb as it was on the first two weeks of my contract. Everything is working fine as it was except Skype (VOIP)

Now I am in a big problem because it is 3rd week of my contract and I can not bring it back. When I called them that I wasn’t aware that they were planning to switch Skype off they told me to buy this add-in for extra 19.99.
This is a joke for 40 eur per month (19.99+add-in 19.99) I can get Fibre Power Broadband 30 Mb from UPC not a crap dongle that gets up to 4.5 Mb !!!
I was explaining them that I bought this modem mainly for Skype and now when they switched it off it is useless for me. If I knew they will do this I would newer sing contract with them. They told me if I want to resign they will ask me for cancellation fee which is 240 eur (12*19.99).

I don’t know what to do now L


P.S.

Another thing

They said that they have introduce this add-in on 07Apr10. This is pretty strange for me. I have signed after this date and Skype was working fine for first 2 weeks. If they are enabling 19.99 add-in features (full stable access to VOIP) during the trial period and disabling it and asking to pay extra 19.99 after this is a serious violation and Regulator should investigate the matter.

To “openviz”

If you still can bring back the modem do so because Skype will not work for you. Don’t get fooled with they crap that this might be temporary. When your trial period will be gone you will have a problem like I have now.

I was on 3 mobile broadband before. General speed was not great (2.5Mb) but skype was working fine.

Woolzerinos

Hi,
I have a Vodafone broadband dongle for €20.00 and live in Dublin 8. Using dongle for a year now and using skype now for a month and is working fine except for one call last week to mobile which was patchy but could have been where caller was. My brother lives in Dublin 12 with a "Three"Dongle and we chat all the time on skype. My friends in Wicklow use O2, Vodafone and Three dongles and we also chat all the time on skype. I have made several calls to various mobiles and landlines using skype. Sounds as if you might be in poor area or something ? Hope this is of some help.

Balta

Hi,
I have the VERY same problem as Desenzano2000. I got this bill pay mobile broadband 10 days ago. My only reason to buy it it was Skype as I need to talk to my family while working in Ireland.

Skype worked fine for the first couple of days and then all of a sudden it just ****ed up. I could hear the voice for exactly 5 seconds every time I tried and after that all you can hear is a distorted voice being impossible to maintain a conversation. Internet like surfing the web or watching videos on line works perfect.

Being ignorant I thought it would be a sound problem, checked all the settings, tried different laptops and it was the same. Uninstalled skype and instaledl it again, the same **** with the dongle and got no success.

Last thing I did was plugging in a Meteor dongle belonging to my friend in my laptop, Skype worked no bother!!!!!!!!!!!She plugged mine in her laptop and Skype didn't work!!!

Took it to the shop in Limerick today (only 10 days after i signed the contract) and he just said he never guaranteed Vodafone broadband was designed for Skype, the same man who sold me the thing and who knew I basically wanted internet for Skype. He said it may work for a certain period but it's not made for that.(Skype is internet and they sell internet!!!!)

He wont cancel my contract now cause I'm 3 days out of the "grace period". Then he said I can pay 19.99 for that stupid add on for Skype!!!!No ****ing way!!!!Paying for something thats free for everyone!!!!:eek:

I feel awful and powerless and all I know is this is a serious scam.DON'T BUY BROADBAND of those ****ers IF U DONT WANNA BE RIPPED OFF!!!

raymon

I spent 2 hours in my attic today trying to find the best reception for Skype to work , only to find that the f*c&ers are blocking Skype !!

Im bringing this piece of sh&t back - they allow skype to work for the first day and then block the packets !!! You can hear first 5 seconds of every skype call then it gets jumbled!

I dont want to pay 19.99 to access skype as an extra ( its not available on Pay as you go anyway)

Shame ...... because I was happy with the 4 Mb download on Pay as you go

Poor show !!!

justinblessy

they block all voip calls and skype and we can't able to call any where. useless broadband.

ford8059

keithclancy wrote: »

Mobile broadband is notoriously bad for VoIP anyway as there isnt guaranteed delivery and you get lots of out of order packets. Hence lots of voice delay and garbled sound.

I purchased vodafone mg 07/o9/10 and all was ok until cooling off period was over,then Skype audio became garbled. Vodafone HQ informed me that due to congestion they prevented Skype audio working but if I paid €20 per month extra they would provide an add-on to rectify problem.I didn't know paying extra would cure congestion problems???? This applies to new customers from 7th April 2010

raymon

ford8059 wrote: »

I purchased vodafone mg 07/o9/10 and all was ok until cooling off period was over,then Skype audio became garbled. Vodafone HQ informed me that due to congestion they prevented Skype audio working but if I paid €20 per month extra they would provide an add-on to rectify problem.I didn't know paying extra would cure congestion problems???? This applies to new customers from 7th April 2010

In my opinion Vodafone are tricksters , selling you "Broadband Internet" and then after a few days blocking the features unless you fork out more cash. (it is however in the terms and conditions )

If vodafone sold TVs and after a few days the sound would stop working would they get away with it ???

I missed my cooling off period too .

I hope you didnt get stung for a 12 month contract - luckily I had Pay as you go

openviz

Thanks for all your replies. Now the picture is more clear however it's little consolation - unfortunately I'm bound by contract to Vodafone for next few months.
I'm really annoyed with the Mobile Broadband providers practices - it is a new kind of censorship.
Just wanted to share my findings and help others in similar situation as I found the way around: SecurityKISS Tunnel - you'll google it out. Using it I can talk via Skype and other VoIP softphones and do other 'forbidden' things.
This software encrypts the data so that operators can't block particular kind of connection. There is an interesting article describing it:

http://www.securitykiss.com/sk/index.php?m=CaseSkype

Hope this helps.

rarasek123

Hi,
just to share my experience. I had the same problem as all the people before me, discovered Vodafone's trick about VOIP a couple days after my cooling off period finished.
Achieved nothing by ringing their customer service line several times, so resorted to written correspondence and eventually they agreed to cancel my contract without penalties. I consider myself lucky.
I also rang Comreg to ask about this and was informed that although most internet providers do not block Skype, they at the same time don't have to provide it, i.e. blocking it is perfectly legal.