A page from the Skype website is seen in Lausanne May 10, 2011. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Online communication service Skype MSFT.O has been summoned to appear in court in Belgium after refusing to pass on customer data to aid a criminal investigation, a court spokesman said.

A court in Mechelen, just north of Brussels, had asked for data from messages and calls exchanged on Microsoft-owned Skype, arguing that telecom operators in the country were required to do so.

“The judicial question is whether Skype is also a telecoms operator,” the court spokesman said, adding that Skype would have to pass on the data if this was established to be the case. It could also face a fine.

Skype was not immediately available for comment.