Tecore Enter Simbox Detection Market

News from the Mobile World Congress is that Tecore Networks, the mobile networks vendor, has launched a new simbox detection product. For a quick briefing on simboxes and mobile gateway fraud, take a look here. Entering the fraud detection and prevention market is an interesting departure for Tecore, but it makes sense. Mobile gateways are a problem worldwide. Even in Western countries simbox use can fall into legal gray areas, making it hard to take action against the seemingly legitimate businesses that use them to siphon revenues away from network operators. There is obvious potential to further exploit simboxes in the developing countries that are Tecore’s focus. Because simboxes are used by service providers to undercut the prices of their competitors, they might aid the rapid growth of mobile phone use in the developing world. However, the short term benefits to consumers must be offset against the loss of revenue to the builders and owners of mobile network infrastructure, which in turn means further network deployment will be slowed. In the long run, that is not good for providers, customers or the economies of the countries where they live.