The shutdown produced an uproar among foreign residents, who form about 80 percent of the population of the Emirates, a wealthy country with some of the world’s highest levels of Internet penetration.
As the ban was phased in, Internet voice connections that cost about 2 cents a minute went dead. The remaining option was a bitter one: pay about 75 cents a minute to phone Britain and 60 cents to call the United States during peak hours.
“It’s infuriating to lose the freedom to call people,� said Rupert
Chesman, a 27-year-old Londoner who works as a TV producer in Dubai.
“People just want to phone home, and now they can’t.�
Kansas City Star | 10/19/2006 | Cut in Internet phone service creates outcry
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