Airtel still records fraudlent numbers-Haruna

Feb, 2011
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

DESPITE the success in the National Communication Authority’s (NCA) effort to reduce fraud on the networks of telecommunication companies operating in the country, Airtel, formerly called Zain, is still recording fraudulent numbers on its network, the Minister of Communications, Mr Iddrisu Haruna, has revealed.
According to him, in the first 20 days of the year alone, 3,469 fraud numbers constituting 95 per cent of total fraud numbers had already been terminated on the Airtel’s network.
The minister made these revelations when he appeared before Parliament yesterday to answer a question posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo-Ano North, Mr Richard Akuoko Adiyia.
The MP wanted to know the status of the installation of the Intelligence Signalling Management System on the International gateways of the telecom operators in the country.
Between June, last year and January 20, this year a total of 64,855 fraud numbers were detected on the networks of the five telecom operators, namely Vodafone, Tigo, MTN, Airtel and Expresso (Kasapa) with Airtel alone recording a total of 32,294.
Mr Haruna said the ministry had thus instructed the NCA to assist Airtel to remedy the situation.
He explained that the NCA had commenced the installation of the Intelligence Signalling Management System (SIM Box Fraud Tool) to verify Call Data Records (CDRs) of the networks of the telecom operators to promote transparency in the management of the international gateways, among others.
According to him, the Electronic Communications Act, as amended, empowers the NCA to establish mechanisms and institute measures to monitor compliance by the telecom networks.
He said the installation exercise was stalled as a result of the court action initiated in July 2010 by the Alliance for Accountable Government (AFAG) seeking relief that the exercise would not intrude into private conversations.
The minister said even though AFAG graciously withdrew the court action after appreciating the need to eliminate illegal SIM Box termination in the country, three other Ghanaians subsequently filed another action in court.
Mr Haruna said notwithstanding these impediments, the NCA was currently relying on the voluntary declaration of call volumes to invoice the telecom operators for the payment of government’s portion of termination rate as provided in the law.
He added that within six months of the implementation and relying solely on voluntary submission of CDRs, a total of $30 million had been generated as non-tax revenue contribution to the government while the number of SIM cards had been reduced from 12,440 in October, 2010 to 3,506 as of January 20, 2011.
Mr Haruna said the escalating fraudulent numbers on the networks of the telecom operators constituted loss of revenue to the companies and the government.
He explained that the anti-fraud exercise of the NCA had also led to the arrest of two illegal operators and the seizure of 8,792 SIM cards, which if they were used would had led to an estimated revenue loss of $500,000 per month with the government losing up to $100,000 per month in tax/levy collection.