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  • Gov't Official Disputes Court Ruling on IP Telephony
  • February 2, 1999 (BEIJING) -- In the government's first response to a recent Fuzhou court ruling that Internet Protocol (IP) phone services come under the category of computer information services and are open to the public, a central government official said that only Internet information services, excluding IP phone and fax, are open to public.
    A permit-issuing system will be introduced only when conditions are ripe, according to Xu Mutu, director of the Ministry of Information Industry's market administration unit (in the Telecom Bureau).

    "We are building and improving facilities for the new sector, and are studying how to manage them," Xu said.

    Xu's remarks came after the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court in eastern China's Fujian Province decided in favor of Chen Yan and Chen Zhui, who were charged with "illegally setting up an international telephone service on the Internet."

    Xu argued that the IP phone service in China should be administered by the unified state telecommunications department. Moreover, he said that no one would be allowed to operate an IP phone business without prior examination of their qualifications and the granting of a business permit by the authorities.

    However, Zhang Dongsheng, an official with the State Development Planning Commission, noted that the country should encourage the growth of IP phone services to improve the range of choices available to international callers.

    (Xinhua News Agency)



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    Updated: Mon Feb 1 15:29:14 1999 PDT