DIGITAL MIGRATION: INCM concerned with fraud via sms
The Mozambican National Communications Institute (INCM), the telecommunications regulatory authority, has expressed its concern regarding the cases of fraud via text message (SMS) in the implementation of digital migration, which culminated with the second phase of the switch-off of the Analogical Television and Radio Broadcasters, in December 2021.
According to the Chairperson of the INCM Board of Directors, Tuaha Mote, the INCM has triggered a series of actions, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and the Mozambican Association of Banks, to facilitate the neutralization of the criminals behind the frauds.
“As the regulator of the communications sector, we are very concerned about the situation of scams, so we have been interacting with the justice authorities and the operators, to investigate and then clarify the cases, and increase literacy and prevention through civic education” he explained.
Mote, who was speaking at a press conference marking the 30th anniversary of the INCM, also said that there are some issues related to the completion of the project for digital migration of television, “but besides these technical constraints, Mozambique can be considered a case of success in the implementation of this process.”
The switch-off of the 16 transmitters planned for the phase in reference, according to INCM, was carried out only in places where the digital television signal and decoders were available. The government approved two phases of the shutdown of analog television broadcasting transmitters, and established December 31st, 2021, as the deadline for the conclusion of the second phase.
One of the duties of the INCM is to crack down on the use of mobile phones or of the Internet for criminal purposes. Last week, unidentified criminals attempted to use social media to mobilise mass demonstrations against the high cost of living, with the explicit purpose of shutting down the entire country.
Legitimate organisations, such as the Mozambican trade unions, distanced themselves from the proposed demonstrations, and the supposed mass mobilization was a damp squib, with just a handful of people burning tyres in a couple of Maputo suburbs, and nothing at all in the rest of the country. None of those responsible for the agitation have yet been identified.
(AIM)
