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An Islamic
mission in southern Sudan is helping Internet phone services join the ranks
of wartime communications.
The area surrounding the mission
fell under rebel control around Sunday when all telephone and cell phone
communications were cut. But by Monday, the mission was able to call
its Turkish headquarters using a satellite broadband modem and its
subscription to Internet phone provider NetoTalk, according to sources
familiar with the situation. The mission is relying on a gas-powered electricity
generator to power the patchwork system.
Almost the entire area where the
mission is located is now "depending on that setup for telephone
communications," according to the source. The name of the mission, and its
location, is being withheld for safety reasons.
NetoTalk is among a slew
of companies that sell what's known as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a
technology for making phones calls over the Internet that's available to just
about anybody with a broadband connection and a working computer. After years of
over-promising and not delivering, VoIP is generating significant interest among
telecom carriers, corporations and consumers, thanks to significant improvements
in quality of service.
While it remains to be seen
whether the communications link in Sudan will continue to be effective,
a NetoTalk representative said the usual 1 million minutes of calling a
month in the country hasn't abated.
Usually in war torn areas
like Sudan, networks of hovering satellites that provide broadband are the only
dependable communication
alternative to ground-based traditional phones that can either be
destroyed or are under the control of hostile forces.
But buying specially made satellite phones is costly,
making them beyond the reach of most civilians. The phones cost $500 to $1,000,
and calls cost about $1 a minute. Service providers, however, have beendriving the prices
down.
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