India demands Skype access

The Indian government had demanded the ability to access to BlackBerry and Skype conversations, writes Thinq.co.uk.

If RIM, maker of the BlackBerry phone, or Skype, the VOIP service, fail to comply, the services will be banned from the country, according to reports.

Indian spooks are upset that they can't read encrypted data sent via BlackBerrys or intercept Skype calls and conversations.

The US Federal Communications Commission reports there are 21 million VOIP subscriptions stateside, and that the vast majority of them are residential customers. But it didn't count Skype subscribers, says The Register.

These figures were announced by the FCC to accompany the release of its highly detailed 31-page report, 'Local Telephone Competition'. The report, however, isn't exactly full of new info - although it was released just last Friday, its data set ends on 31 December 2008.

The FCC's report comes with one enormous caveat that it buries in a footnote: the stats don't include Skype subscribers. This omission doesn't render the numbers meaningless - it just means there's a lot more VOIP going on than the FCC reports.

Businesses are set to increase their use of VOIP communications technology, new research has found, reports ihotdesk

A study conducted in the US, with findings that reflect general global trends, shows the number of VOIP minutes carried annually on 3G and 4G networks will rise from 15 billion this year to over 470 billion in 2015.

The data, compiled by Juniper Research, reflects a growing need for smart communications solutions among businesses seeking to gain a competitive advantage.