The National Telecommunications Company has disclosed to journalists in Freetown that they have entered into a settlement agreement with Africell mobile company over the November 17th,2018 Sim Box Fraud amounting to a whooping Le 16.877 billion leones
The Director General NATCOM, Mr. Hinga Massaquoi, noted the number of Sim Cards detected from Africell in the sim fraud had amounted to 550,000. This, he went on, was what was used, according to Mr. Massaquoi, to determine the fines.
The fines, he went on, were made pursuant to the 2009 Sim Registration Act of Sierra Leone. Africell was ordered to pay in forty five (45) days’ time effective March,28th ,2019.
The NATCOM DG downplayed the seriousness of the involvement of Africell in the criminal enterprise to a point that such a huge number of sim cards could be detected in the fraud and noted they are quite satisfied as a Commission on the number of reforms the company has made to avoid such an occurrence in future.
Mr. Massaquoi used the occasion to disclose that the Commission took a two pronged approach to deal with the Sim Box fraud that hit the country on the 17th November,2018, but as a Commission, Mr. Massaquoi continued, they had concentrated on the regulatory issues leaving the criminal aspect for the court to deal with.
The DG however noted that one of the measures mobile companies have taken was to remove sim card hawkers from the streets. He noted that they had realized that some street hawkers are not doing business on behalf of the mobile network operators.
The NATCOM DG told journalist that sim box fraud is not in the interest of the mobile network operators as its makes them lose very huge sums of money.
As a Commission, Mr. Massaquoi noted, they are ready to ensure that mobile network operators deliver suitable services to their customers.
“We are monitoring the quality of calls and other necessary issues with the services mobile networks provide and we have an intention to make public our findings,” the Director General noted.
The Chairman National Telecommunications Company, who also doubles as Chairman and Leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, Dr Alex Prince Harding, earlier on told the news conference that they are making frantic efforts as a Commission to minimize fraud in the communications industry.
He continued that the role of the regulators of mobile networks, all over the world, is to open up the market to attract more players rather than to create stringent laws that will scare away potential investors.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rado Swarray, assured all that they are in discussions with mobile network operators towards the reduction of data tariffs online with the SALCAB reduction and that they have been assured by Orange Sierra Leone to increase 50% of data bundles for the same price.
The Deputy Minister of Information, Solomon Jamiru, gave an update of the President’s recent tour to the United Arab Emirates and other activities of the Ministry.
SIM Box Fraud… NATCOM Enters Into Le16.8Bn Settlement With Africell
