VoiP services illegal in India: DoT official

Hyderabad: Many websites and Android apps offer call spoofing at $5 for 100 calls. “A few apps provide the first 10 calls free, which are being utilised by cyber criminals. We have directed ISPs to control such calls and ask telecom operators to monitor VoIP calls,” an official from the DoT said.

“In Hyderabad, we have found that the majority of NRI relatives utilise VoIP services to make free calls abroad or take advantage of the unlimited free calls to India. Such calls are legal in the US and UK but not in India,” he said. According to the Telecom Act, calls from India to foreign countries should pass seven gateways — local exchange, state exchange, national exchange, international gateway, destination country, state and local exchange.