As a result of PTA’s efforts the IP white list has been rationalised and reduced from 51,000 to 10,360. PHOTO: FILE
One month into operation, the newly acquired grey traffic monitoring equipment seems to have enabled the telecom regulator to cause some serious damage to gateway exchanges involved in grey traffic – illegal termination of international calls landing in Pakistan.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked more than 200,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, 1,382 mobile SIMs and 3,160 phones or devices through their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers in October, PTA said in a statement.
The data for the first month since the installation of the new equipment to curb grey traffic, looks impressive when seen in the context of the regulator’s performance over the last couple of years. PTA had struggled to curb grey traffic until recently.
Grey traffic accounts for more than 50% of overall monthly international traffic coming to Pakistan, causing losses of over Rs3.5 billion or $35 million a year to the national exchequer.
This loss is brought by illegal gateway exchanges that bypass legal gateways to terminate or originate international telephone traffic by using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) gateways, wireless local loop (WLL) phones and mobile phone SIMs.
The grey traffic monitoring system, which has been operational since early October 2013, has the capability to automatically block the IPs, which are not in the PTA’s white list – a list of IP addresses which are clear and not involved in any suspicious activity.
Installed as per directives of the Grey Traffic Monitoring Committee of PTA, the new equipment has helped the telecom regulator conduct an extensive audit of the IPs on its white list.
Now, “white-listing of IPs” is being done after stringent checks, the statement said, and a strict standard operating procedure has been devised in this regard. As a result, the IP white list has been rationalised and reduced from 51,000 to 10,360.
In one recent case, grey traffic was detected by PTA and on further analysis it was established that a Long Distance and International (LDI) operator, Wise Communication Private Limited, was involved in grey traffic, the statement said.
A joint raid was conducted by PTA and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and illegal terminating equipment was confiscated and culprits were apprehended.
Initial estimates suggest that a total of 11 million minutes per month were being illegally brought into Pakistan by the company, which showed international calls as local minutes, thus evading over $31,000 a day in government taxes.
In two other raids conducted in Karachi, PTA along with FIA confiscated nine gateways, the statement said.
To intensify their campaign, PTA has also set up a 24-hour complaint centre to receive complaints. Through this facility, the statement said, 1,944 complaints were received until November 9. The numbers reported were not only blocked but also analysed for legal action.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (12)
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@Naveed Khan: Prosecute people for what? Using available technology to lower their phone bill? When people using electricity but not paying are not prosecuted, when people not paying income taxes are not prosecutedm when not a single terrorist has been prosecuted then you think this is a top priority for prosecution?
I thought IP addresses were dynamically allocated on the internet. If they blocked IP addresses then surely they will just get their equipment reassigned unless the used MAC address to block which are unique and static. Can ET or someone else please confirm this? Also if they had static IP addresses then this can be used to trace your location. This should be used by law enforcement agencies to make arrests and prosecute.
During the last one month, I have forwarded over 8 local mobile numbers to PTA through which I had received international incoming calls. However, I have not received any acknowledgement or confirmation message from PTA for this action by me. I think, PTA is not doing much, it is just doing lip service like our inefficient police department which presents arrested criminals before media every day but the crime rate doesn't drop.
In order to add another $35 million per year to the national treasury for the looting and plunder pleasure by the aristocrats who run the government under this fake democracy, the government will now be punishing thousands of ex-pats who live overseas and send billions of dollars every year to Pakistan. Now ex-pats will have to spend more money to communicate with their parents, wives, children, other family and friends. These politicians are truly shameless. The feudal landowners who own the government pay zero tax on billions of dollars in agriculture profits yet poor Pakistanis who work hard to make a living in another countries to send money back home will have to empty their pockets some more to pay more taxes. Where is the justice?
Whats the use of having such a big part of defence project being spent into technology and whats the use of considering ourselves very technological when we couldnt event develop/attain such technology or its equivalent workaround a decade ago.
The termites of corruption can no doubt render any strength or capability to nil.
Instead of roping in the power, gas and water thieves the Goberment is going after the little guys. Shows their prowess when tycoons are robbing the FBR on sales tax refunds.