Yemen has joined the list of Arab countries trying to stop people making cheap phone calls over the internet. According to the Yemen Times, blocking of Skype was introduced earlier this yearat the request of TeleYemen to protect the revenue it gets from international calls.

TeleYemen's terms and conditions state: "Access to applications which transmit or receive live video or audio, or make similar demands on the capacity of the network, constitutes unreasonable usage which may affect the performance of the network, and is therefore not permitted."

Calls to mobile phones and landlines using Skype are blocked, though some users are reportedly still able to use Skype-to-Skype voice chat. "However," the paper says, "even Skype voice chat is not possible for many in Yemen if they don’t have specific software such as Hot Spot Shield, which itself is now blocked".

Other countries in the region – including Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE – have attempted to block Skype, by a variety of methods and with varying degrees of success.

Some have blocked access to the Skype download page, though users have circumvented that by downloading the software from alternative sites or loading it on to their laptops during trips abroad. Another approach has been to block online payments for Skype's services.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 9 May 2010