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Principal Manager at the National Communication Authority (NCA), Mr. Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor believes the SIM Box fraud which has occurred has nothing to do with the charges on international calls.

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Mr. Kwaku Sakyi Addo has called on mobile network operators to review their prices on international calls so as to make SIM box fraud unattractive.

According to him, SIM box fraudsters are attracted to the operation due to the high cost of charges on international calls into the country.

Sakyi Addo added: “It costs 19 cents a minute to make a call into Ghana...so there is an incentive because the network operators are obliged to charge not less than 19 cents a minute for a call coming into Ghana [but] the SIM box fraudsters are terminating calls into Ghana for much less than that, so the network operators are uncompetitive and yet these people operating in the dark are terminating calls in the grey market through SIM boxing so people making calls oversees find the grey market more attractive because you can stay on the line for longer and for cheaper.

But refuting the claim by Mr. Kwaku Sakyi Addo, the Principal Manager at the NCA stated on Oman Fm’s Morning Show that it is better to fight the crime head-on than to blame the SIM Box fraud on pricing.

To him, it is wrong to compare Ghana with Nigeria because both countries operate differently as Nigeria economy is largely dependent on the Oil Industry and so they [Nigerians] can afford to charge 3 cents on international calls.

He again was resolute that the analysis of the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Telecommunications was not complete; thus he should have mentioned that Tanzania charges 23 cents but there is no SIM Box fraud in the country.

He further mentioned that Uganda doesn’t charge anything on international calls but has a higher record of SIM Box fraud in the country more than it is in Ghana; adding that the SIM Box fraud is a serious issue which should be discussed keenly to put a stop to it.

“..So we should address the issue well; why should we by-pass Togo, Bennin and cite Nigeria as a country that charges lowest price? Togo takes 21 cents but check the SIM Box fraud over there; and so the 19 cents is not significant to call for SIM Box fraud. Nigeria’s economy is based on the Oil and not on Telecom...We should find an antidote to the SIM Box fraud than to justify that it is the high pricing on the international calls which has caused the fraud. To me the Clearing House is the antidote to stop the SIM Box fraud and so let’s implement it to get rid of SIM Box fraud,” he urged.