In an effort to collectively combat their network investments and data from cyber and commercial crimes, the leading telecos in South Africa including – MTN, Telkom SA, Vodacom, Intelligent Technologies, and Cell C have come together to form the Communication Risk Information Centre (Comric).
Comric is expected to help identify, mitigate, and prevent any risks to the telecos including network vandalism, commercial or cybercrimes.
“The formation of Comric has enabled formal discussion and solution finding between operators to handle the risks they face. It has also created a platform through which we will engage society on issues of related crime and support the government in the overall fight against crime in South Africa.
Telecommunications infrastructure which is the backbone of the information age is particularly vulnerable to attack and this escalating crime has translated into loss of service and network integrity.
The industry recognises that criminals do not discriminate when it comes to which network, they target. As such, collective working as the Telecommunication Industry provides benefits in terms of risk management for all operators irrespective of market share. The opportunity exists for creating a safer environment that may lead to uninterrupted customer experience in the telecommunication space.”
Vernall Muller, Chief Executive Officer, Comric
