Myanmar women arrested over illegal phone-call service

[Lite Beer]

Myanmar women arrested over illegal phone-call service
The Nation

RANONG: -- Eight Myanmar women have been arrested in Ranong province in connection with the case of a phone signal being hijacked to provide an illegal worldwide call service.

National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission chairman Thakorn Tanthasit yesterday said NBTC officials and police had conducted an under-warrant search of a three-storey commercial building in tambon Bang Non, following a report of someone illegally using the UHF 450-megahertz frequency from the premises.

During the search, police arrested eight female Myanmar "phone-call operators" and seized 37 telephones and books recording customers' recipient phone numbers.

They also found many antennas and 31 signal boxes on the building's sky deck, which after official inspection were confirmed to have been used in the unauthorised signal usage, he said.

NBTC senior official Charan Khaokaew said the illegal use of a phone signal to make worldwide calls had reportedly been going on for more than a year, with customers being charged Bt50 per minute.

The suspects now face charges of setting up a telecommunication station and using a frequency without permission.

A police investigation found that a Myanmar national had been renting the building for Bt20,000 a month as a "living quarters for employees".

Police are now looking for the head of the operation.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Myanmar-women-arrested-over-illegal-phone-call-ser-30245229.html

-- The Nation 2014-10-11

[simon43]

Actually, this has been going on for years, due to the lack of international telephone service for the general population in Myanmar.

Since Ranong is just across the border from Kawthaung township, some enterprising persons set up illegal VHF comms channels between Ranong and 'somewhere' in Ranong. The caller in Kawthaung connects via VHF to the call-centre in Ranong, where the call is then routed via the Thai network.

I know all this because I often hear the VHF telephone conversations on my VHF amateur transceiver when I drive up to Ranong - there are perhaps 4 separate frequencies in use.

[ukrules]

50 Baht a minute, what a rip off.

Is the internet really that bad in Myanmar that VOIP won't work ?

[belg]

euh...does true not make publicity to call anywhere in the world for 9 baht per minute ?

who is willing to pay 50 ?

sa-ta-range

[JeremyBowskill]

50 Baht a minute, what a rip off.

Is the internet really that bad in Myanmar that VOIP won't work ?

Yes

[ToddinChonburi]

Start a new bussiness, Lol you got to give them a that a boy for the creativity.

[Barin]

As far as I can understand they are exploiting the lack of proper authentication procedure in the early version of NMT-450 cellular system.

It's amazing to know that NMT-450 cellular system without any authentication configured (3 digit SAK number or Added Security with SIS authentication) is still alive and kicking in Thailand.

http://www.cellular.co.za/cellular-ru-to-z.htm

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/nostalgia/388205/another-brick-in-the-wall

http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f38/need-hadrware-software-hack-sis-nmt450-urgently-19454/

ftp://ftp.3gpp2.org/SC_OP/Working/2004/SC_OP-0406/20040615_3G_CDG_IA45_Workshop/Session1-IA450_Presentation.pdf

In Thailand the Band Subclass is F

In NMT-450 system the modulation is analog FSK (Frequency Shift Keying).

It's easy to demodulate and decode the call origination messages on the RCC (Reverse Control Channel) on the frequency of 479.000 - 483.480 MHz, and if SIS authentication (Subscriber Identity Security) is not used in the system, it's easy to obtain over the air all the required information to be able to clone an NMT-450 mobile phone.

In Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine - this is already a thing of the past.

In Russia NMT-450 cellular system was discontinued in the end of the 20th Century and replaced with CDMA-450 cellular system.

So far to the best of my knowledge there is no affordable equipment to intercept the Reverse Control Channel messages in CDMA system as the modulation is different from the FCC (Forward Control Channel). Otherwise a modified CDMA phone could have been used for this purpose as has been well achieved with AMPS / DAMPS cellular phones way back in 1996.

As far as I know the old NMT-450 cellular system in Thailand for long time already doesn't have any commercial service.

It has been serving schools and other educational institutions in the remote areas of Thailand and the calls are free of charge.

If someone clones this phone for illegal calls this probably doesn't cause any financial burden to the phone's owner, only the calls may be dropped unexpectedly due to call collisions.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Barin

[Strangebrew]

Police were report to be madder than hornets over missed bribes on the scheme. After customary beating they found more killers in Koh tao muerders

[simon43]

Is the internet really that bad in Myanmar that VOIP won't work ?

When I worked in Yangon a couple of years back, I used to 'try' to make VOIP calls back to my family in Phuket. It was an excrutiating and frustrating process, with dropped calls, dalek voices, and continual 'hallo, hallo u hear me?".

For the sum of $5 (for a cappucino), I got access to the fast internet in the coffee lounge at Trader's Hotel....

[Bluespunk]

euh...does true not make publicity to call anywhere in the world for 9 baht per minute ?

who is willing to pay 50 ?

sa-ta-range

What True promises and what True delivers are rarely the same thing.

[FM505]

50 Baht a minute, what a rip off.

Is the internet really that bad in Myanmar that VOIP won't work ?

Yes.

Was there twice early last year... no atm, no 7-11, no motorcycles allowed in Yangon city limits. Only crisp, flat, new US bills can be used in transactions along with the local currency. Same may apply for Euros, didn't use them to know for certain.

Edited October 12, 2014 by FM505