Over the past few years we have seen the telecom industry becoming a major source of transformation in the Asia-Pacific region where, as the region prospers, Mobile Network Operators have been called to provide over 3.5 billion mobile connections.
The region is ripe with possibilities, but it is also in danger of becoming a hotbed for massive fraud. To address these risks effectively, a very close cooperation is required within the industry.
GSMA’s Asia-Pacific Fraud Forum (APFF) has been responding to this call brilliantly. APFF is the regional arm of the global Fraud Forum (FF) that helps mobile operators better manage fraud by sharing intelligence on the latest fraud incidents, trends, and countermeasures, and by developing industry defences. I believe that APFF benefits greatly from the effort of two amazing ladies, Ms. Belinda Soh and Ms. Hayley Daniels, who are respectively Chair and Deputy Chair of the Asia-Pacific Fraud Forum.
Every year the APFF invites operators to meet and learn more about fraud related subjects. This year’s meeting (APFF#22) took place October 16-17 in Beijing. It was my first time in Beijing, and I felt very well received and thankful for the kindness of the hosts.
WeDo Technologies sponsored the meeting and was an exhibitor, and our colleague Pietro Saia travelled from London to speak about the potential Fraud Risks brought by LTE.
This topic was eagerly anticipated since LTE is being adopted across the region, and many operators have contacted us to learn more about it. I will summarize some key aspects of this presentation.
LTE technology is fully IP. It serves as the first step for full integration of all access technologies, increases speed, and improves service mobility. With LTE pocket-sized multimedia devices present endless possibilities. However, it also presents additional risk.
In fact, as the evolution to LTE continues to widen the separation between bearer and service, MNO’s (Mobile Network Operators) will no longer control services, which may be provided by 3rd parties instead. Today it seems that for MNOs, the new risks will reside mainly in access and bearer side, while new issues will arise from interworking to legacy systems. It becomes clear that the first step is to incorporate LTE-related network elements and systems under existing FM (Fraud Management) and RA (Revenue Assurance) control.
However, we also think that the community should not settle. LTE opens infinite possibilities that, one by one, will storm across the industry, transforming it in many ways. And certainly as new services and business models are marketed, new fraud types will emerge.
In fact the mix of LTE, smart terminals, and legacy networks introduces many new areas for technically driven frauds. We believe that to prevent an unpleasant surprise, operators must look ahead and put in place a comprehensive end-to-end risk management methodology, comprehending prevention and control mechanisms from the user equipment to subscribers’ experience and having in mind these are becoming extremely complex as customers.
WeDo Technologies is committed to providing the solutions and services for operators to accomplish it.
Finally, the APFF is a fascinating community of professionals willing to network and collectively learn from its peers. Everyone contributed to create a very positive environment, and knowledge was freely shared. Many friendships were reinforced, and new friendships may have started there. I am definitely looking forward for the next year’s meeting.
Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post.
Put your Comment Below.