Skype to be shaped by Telkom

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w1z4rd

w1z4rd

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Okay, just got off the phone from an undercover Telkom person. Sype is to be shaped (heavily). That has nothing to do with what port it uses, but every thing to do with packet headers.

So expect your Skype to go pear shaped. Im sure this is anti competive behaviour. I run a skype phone at home (cheaper prices, and i dont suffer from a degraded service), so this is going to effect me.
 
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Highflyer_GP

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no surprises there. wonder if the competition commision would be interested in this, especially considering that VoIP is now legal - they have no right to shape it or tell us how to use our VoIP bandwidth
 
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pupa

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I am sure they are experimenting already. Thieves, Scum of the telecoms world
 
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desraid

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"Lightning fast 1MB ADSL for e-mail and web browsing only!"

Telkom should insert this in their ad. ;)
 
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Highflyer_GP

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they were experimenting all this time, thats why the recent decrease in quality of VoIP calls. using an unshaped account sorted this out to a certain degree but it still wasn't 100%. i still got the occasional break-up when hearing the person on the other side, even though they could hear me fine
 
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nGAGEd55

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and i bet u they'll give their own Voip phone app thingy (cant remember what its called) top priority on the network!!!

EDIT: just checked on their site, its the TelkomInternet Communicator.
 
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MaD

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Is checking the packet headers not the same as sniffing your traffic?
 
bwana

bwana

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Surely this would justify a complaint to ICASA considering telkom would be deliberately trying to thwart recent legalization of VOIP by the government. Talk about an un-level playing field.
 
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Highflyer_GP

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MaD said:
Is checking the packet headers not the same as sniffing your traffic?
Click to expand...
the frame header contains source address and destination address of the entire frame. the payload contains the actual data, so technically they not snooping :) they shaping it according to where the frame is going, or where its being sent from
 
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MaD

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we will have to mail the fellows at skype and ask what the workaround is
 
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pupa

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desraid said:
"Lightning fast 1MB ADSL for e-mail and web browsing only!"

Telkom should insert this in their ad. ;)
Click to expand...

For the last few days even that were non existent for patches
 
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Franna

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This is bad news...

The easiest way to shape Skype VOIP traffic is to give a low priority to the ports used by the software.

But why not configure Skype with the ports used by Telkom Communicator, as it apparantly does not shape its own VOIP software?

This may be an option - but would Telkom be that stupid!

My guess is that Telkom have implemented a OSI Layer 7 deep-packet filter appliance (like the NetEnforcer from Allot) to control P2P abuse and limit the use of other VOIP software clients like Skype to give it an unfair advantage.

This is just outrageous. We must do everything in our power to stop Telkom from shaping ADSL traffic. It is totally unacceptable!!!!!!!!!!

I mentioned the same thing earlier today: With the new per-gig billing proposal for November 2005, why the hell must they port shape. Surely you can do with your 1 Gig as you please.


More info about NetEnforcer:
http://www.allot.com/html/products_netenforcer.shtm
---------------------------------------------------
 
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Highflyer_GP

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Franna said:
This is bad news...

The easiest way to shape Skype VOIP traffic is to give a low priority to the ports used by the software.

But why not configure Skype with the ports used by Telkom Communicator, as it apparantly does not shape its own VOIP software?
Click to expand...

thats the reason they using packet shaping as opposed to port shaping. they shape according to the source and destination address of the packet, making it more difficult to work around. this is daylight robbery and i wonder if skype/ebay would be interested in an anti-competitive law suit:rolleyes:
 
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rburley

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This is BS! what next they going to ban email to keep postoffice running?
VOIP is one of the primary reasons why I have ADSL, if it goes so am I im affriad
 
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bekdik

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newb5000 said:
I posted this link a while back. It is old news, but it is interesting to see what happens to telecoms that try to block VOIP, in America:

http://internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3487466

Damn I will laugh if ICASA starts fining Telkom.
Click to expand...

"We saw a problem, and we acted swiftly to ensure that Internet voice service remains a viable option for consumers," outgoing FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell said in a statement.

And that's going to happen here? Yeah Right.
 
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