Moscow: MTS (Mobile TeleSystems) the biggest telecom service provider of Russia has lost its plea to ban Skype in the country and Russian government’s telecom watchdog agency has given Skype the green light to continue operating in Russia without a license, after rejecting an appeal from mobile operator MTS.
Mobile operators in Russia have complained about Skype’s presence in the Russian market, as it cuts traditional carrier revenue and eats up bandwidth.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal communication agency has deemed it ‘impossible’ to supervise Skype’s activities under Russian law since the company is registered in Luxembourg, and cannot mandate it comply with Russian licensing laws, Vedomosti reported.
The Deputy Head of Roskomnadzor Olge Ivanov explained the decision in a letter written to Russian’s telecom giant MTS (Mobile TeleSystems) that there isn’t a ‘legal basis’ for Skype within Russian territory, as the law can only cover service providers in the Russian Federation.
