Sat 14 Jun 2008
What does the MOC want?
Posted by Bashar under Kuwait
The Ministry of Communications (MOC) is the central authority in Kuwait for internet and phone, which includes ISPs, phone lines, and mobile operators. Such a big responsibility that can take the country both ways. And unfortunately, the way they’re doing it can only take us backward I am afraid. MOC is known to be trying to commercialize everything, that they are banning the VoIP as an evil technology, and wants us instead to stick to regular international calls, that cost around $20 for 10 minutes (including the dialing and waiting time!), and I’ve tried some international call cards that don’t even work.
Below is a quick summit of things MOC is doing, and not doing!:
- MOC Taking on VoIP: Purely because it’s affecting the international calls income as they state it. The only way to allow it is if ISPs arrange for a solution on commission basis, i.e., they control the price, and take part of the money! I can only guess how competitive that can be.
- After years and years of hearing about the Fiber Optics. It’s being layed down, installed, soon we will have it. News last year spread fast about activating and giving Fiber Optics accounts for users in South Surra. This didn’t even last for 2 days before MOC stopped giving new accounts. I didn’t follow up really what happened then, but some people tell me know the ministry stopped installing new fibers for one reason or another.
- Audit Bureau blows up 140 million KD ($526.5 m) of pending money collections from the MOC side. So if you’re so much after our VoIP money, why didn’t you do something about this? Ohh, probably this is all because of us geeks. MOC was busy fighting VoIP, bloggers, and other sort of evil stuff that they forgot about their 140 million KDs! But did they stand still when they heard the news?
- MOC started disconnecting phone lines without any prior notice, with the excuse of system failure or miscommunication between departments in the ministry of COMMUNICATIONS! The same news story tells how even people who paid their bills are not getting the service back yet! So you’re ready to disconnect now and collect the bills, but you don’t know how to turn it back on?
- MOC is taking legal action now to recover the slept over 140 million KDs.
God bless MOC.
Popularity: 33% [?]
June 14th, 2008 at 11:49 am
+1
June 14th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
well thats what you get for having a Ministry of Communications with least interest in communications
if they hadn’t added couple other isp we would be just our normal mail , lost with disconnecting every day
June 14th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
MOC are useless, the reason why they stopped the South Surra project is because they have had problems with the GPON solution that they were applying for the fiber, there were technological restrictions that they didn’t take into consideration and didn’t do any planning regarding it.
MOC needs to be cleaned out and changed, they really need to privatize it and let companies go for these services. Change the ISPs to local Telco providers and lets go from there. I bet the services will improve for sure.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
It’s all about the money :/
June 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
MOC and Baladiya are holding us back. They should be sold and given to someone with vision.
June 14th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
They are trying always to block VOIP ports . And also there rules are very hard . even ISPs sometimes doesn’t apply there rules . like companies dsl is tooooo much “ween ga3deen” . yam3awad go and see egypt for instance .
June 14th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
forzaq8: Yeah, the commercial ISPs are just hardly bearable, or worse, no other option!
Marzouq: I still remember when people started talking about the project. A long term ISP engineer said “I Don’t believe it”. His friend replied “No, they’re working on it right now”, “I still don’t believe it.” He was damn sure it’s not going to be a reality. He was the one who told me it’s stopped several years later ;/
Privatizing is the solution for all ministries. But hey, who do you think will approve it? The majlis?
3baid: Then why did they leave 140 million KD? Thats what makes me wonder
Don Veto: I think you’re absolutely right, except I would be OK with holding us only. They’re dragging this whole country.
Dr-Mahbob: I am %100 sure ISPs try to play around the MOC rules for sanity reasons. Othrwise we would only have .gov.kw domains to browse. At least most of them!
June 15th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
MOC … where to begin …
I think there was a project to do the local routing on MOC premises but that didn’t work out
Do all ISPs go through MOC ??? I thought they got back to their senses and each established their own fiber links with overseas ISPs ???
June 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
maryam: I’m not really aware of the details. I heard something that supports it and how MOC wants to be the main filter for all traffic! God emigration will increase then.
August 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
M.O.C needs to be shutdown and replaced by giant AI who monitors all of our communications and send killer droids to those who used VoIP or complain about their phone line “cut off” for no reason. That is until the droids go on a strike for not being paid for the past 10 months and start burning down Hawalli.. That’s Kuwait 300 years from now.
August 17th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Ali: Yeah, strikes really make me laugh. We make no work, and then we strike! :)