• Field
    TKK
  • Date
    23.06.2008
  • Category
    Rechtsaufsicht
  • Parties
    Skype Communications S.a.r.l.
  • GZ
    R 8/08

R 8/08 - Skype Communications S.a.r.l.

In Procedure R 8/08, the Telekom-Control Commission issued a unanimous decision in its session on June 23, 2008 to suspend Skype Communications S.a.r.l.'s right to provide communications services which establish connections to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in Austria until the company complies with the provisions of Articles 15, 20, 22 and 25 Par. 1 of the Austrian Telecommunications Act (TKG) 2003. In particular, this decision concerns the service offered under the name "Skype Out".

The service provided by Skype Communications S.a.r.l. in which registered Skype users can establish connections to other registered Skype users (who are addressed by way of the user names administered by Skype) exclusively via the Internet is not regarded by the regulatory authority as a communications service pursuant to Art. 3 No. 9 TKG 2003, and therefore the regulatory authority does not consider this service to be a public telephone service pursuant to Art. 3 No. 16 TKG 2003. As a result, the official decision did not apply to this service.