Skype at your own risk in Oman
If you were planning to chat with someone in Oman via Skype, you may want to consider e-mailing them instead. According the Times of Oman, from the beginning of the year through October, the Royal Oman Police raided 121 cyber cafes and arrested 212 people for providing VoIP technology.
According to the Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Act, providing telecomm services is illegal in the Sultanate. What’s more, violators of the law have to shell out RO50,000 (that’s approximately US 129,858) or spend two years in jail. Ouch!
As is often the case when Governments enact laws that stifle what many consider to be basic freedoms, the Sultanate cites national security concerns as basis for the law.