NTC set to conduct probe on Netopia's VoIP services - Secondthoughts

Edgardo Cabarios, director of the Common Carrier Department of the NTC, said that the unnamed complainant is questioning the voice over IP (VoIP) services being offered by Netopia. Netopia chief executive Raymond Ricafort, however, stressed that the company is only a reseller of the service for dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Philcom....

NTC's Cabarios said that VoIP, which is being used as cheaper alternative to long distance telephone calls, is still regulated and cannot be offered on a retail basis under existing government regulations.

A telco needs a congressional approval to offer VoIP on a commercial basis, Cabarios said, adding that the NTC will look into the said complaint.