ComReg ban will begin as planned

A ban on direct dial telephone calls to 13 countries in the South Pacific, Africa and the Indian Ocean will begin as scheduled from next Monday, the communication's regulator said yesterday.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Mike Byrne, director of market operations at ComReg, said the new directions would stand until Irish consumers could no longer be affected by internet frauds.

"Our first and foremost priority is to protect Irish consumers," he said. "There may well be some initial inconvenience but within the directions there are various ways for consumers who want to do legitimate business with these countries to unblock numbers."

The ban, which has caused controversy in the affected states and concern among Irish telecoms operators, is being imposed by ComReg as a way to protect consumers from a fraud called "modem hijacking".

This is where an internet fraudster sets up rogue websites that can install software on a web surfer's computer that can redirect its dial-up internet connection to send calls via far-flung locations.

An official delegation representing some of the affected states will meet ComReg later today to try to get it to rescind the ban in favour of alternative consumer protection proposals.

Ambassadors to the European Union for the Cook Islands and the Solomon Islands have warned the action would hurt the islands' vulnerable economies.

They fear that other European countries may follow suit with similar bans on direct calls, forcing people to ask for operator assistance to call businesses or consumers in their islands.

Almost all the telecoms firms who responded to a ComReg consultation on the issue opposed the ban on direct phone calls.