SPOTLIGHT: Fighting Over VoIP in Africa

While Botswana and Cape Verde have just legalized VoIP, they're in a relatively small club of 10 African countries that have done so.

VoIP could be the way forward to help drive the uptake of telecommunications in developing countries by driving down the cost of communications, thereby providing incentives for international businesses to increase their investments into countries. Incumbent telecommunications players, however, want to keep their monopolies and the fees that come from them.

Complicating matters are murky and ambiguous legal regulations varying from country to country.  Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have the most liberalized environments, clearly defining who has access to international gateways and VoIP services and how international VoIP providers can interconnect with local operators to offer truly "legal" VoIP.

For more:
- Read IT Web's review of VoIP in Africa

Related articles:
VoIP in Africa shows market forces in action
Cape Verde, South Africa Advance VoIP