POTRAZ to install call monitoring system for “revenue purposes”

Valentine Muhamba Avatar
POTRAZ, call traffic monitoring system, Telecommunications Monitoring System and Revenue Assurance (TTMS)

Late last year, the Postal and Telecommunications Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) called for input from stakeholders on its proposed Telecommunications Monitoring System and Revenue Assurance (TTMS) regulations.

The system is supposedly meant to be a “non-invasive” measure to monitor and account for national and international telecommunications traffic. This action is supposedly meant to stop mobile network operators from fudging the numbers or “enforce a bill of integrity and improve revenue assurances for tax purposes”.

According to a report by The Herald, the government has, through SI 95 of 2021, ordered POTRAZ to start installing the system. The TTMS will record the two numbers in any telecommunications call that has at least one Zimbabwean node.

A network node is an electronic device that is attached to a network and is capable of creating, receiving, or transmitting information over a communication channel.

“In order to ensure accurate revenue collection, the objective of these regulations is to provide for the conditions, requirements and procedures for monitoring of telecommunications traffic in Zimbabwe.”

“Through the installation of a civil tool that will monitor and measure all forms of telecommunication interconnect traffic handled by telecommunications licensees, it is expected that this will:

– ensure generation of reliable statistics for all incoming international calls and national traffic on limited call detail records;

-detect, track and block bypass fraud through an anti-fraud system and ensure the reduction of network traffic fraud;

-provide International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) details and SIM card profile for fraudulent SIM cards;

-verify the international returns of telecommunication licensees for international telecommunications traffic.”

POTRAZ is reportedly barred from monitoring the content passed over the network.

“A telecommunications traffic monitoring system or monitoring hardware and software will only be installed over such dedicated links with signalling information where it shall be physically impossible for the authority to record, monitor or tap into the content of any personal communication.”

I’d very interested to hear what you all think about this in the comments.

3 comments

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  1. Michelle

    Hahaha.. don’t they do this already?

  2. TechnoGeek

    Promoting corruption at its best

  3. Imi vanhu musadaro

    Why do they need to log the numbers involved in the calls to establish traffic? That’s a major privacy concern. They just need a hash of the number and they can still get any legitimate metrics they would require.

    Even without privy of call content, they will be able to establish that Cde. X calls Cde. Y every Saturday and soon after he calls Dr. Z. Making whatever deductions from such activity.

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