The International Fraud Deterrent System recently unveiled by the GSMA is a welcome development that will help prevent telecommunications fraud, including the multibillion-dollar global problem of “robo-calling”.

PBX-over-GSM provider Trabel is a leading local telecoms firm that believes the GSMA’s latest anti-fraud initiative can add another layer of protection to PBX systems running over different telecoms networks.

“When it comes to security, GSM is the undisputed gold standard for voice calls,” says Trabel MD Anton Potgieter. Trabel is the the Cape-based developer of NoPBX, a secure GSM-based PBX solution that seamlessly transforms smartphones into low-cost, multifunctional switchboards.

For other PBXes running over far-less-secure voice-over-IP networks, it’s a different story. One estimate from a few years ago has 46% of fraudulent calls being made from VoIP phones.

GSM is impervious to many specific types of VoIP-related fraud, including the ever-present toll fraud. The latter is best illustrated by the well-known case of a small business owner in the US who found that his VoIP PBX had been hacked to make US$900 000 worth of calls to Somalia.

The problem is that VoIP uses convenient but breakable technology that was never intended for secure voice calls — but is nevertheless used for these as it saves money. VoIP calls can travel across diverse networks that open them up to cyberattack.

NoPBX, a world-first solution developed in South Africa, is a GSM-based corporate switchboard that benefits from using a technological backbone designed from the ground up for encrypted, dedicated, secure voice communication. In addition, NoPBX outclasses the “brute-force attack” cybercrooks because there is no app setup needed – NoPBX app uses your securely validated GSM cellphone number to identify you instead. Conversely, VoIP PBXes typically use usernames and passwords that can be cracked and hacked.

Easy to set up

Trabel launched NoPBX at the end of last year. Unlike VoIP PBX solutions that require a fair degree of technical proficiency to set up, this GSM-based switchboard can easily be set up and managed by any existing smartphone user. With NoPBX, complicated voice-over-data streams that are prone to both security and call quality issues make way for pure cellular simplicity controlled through a handset’s built-in phone dialler app.

In conclusion, the NoPBX unique architecture allows for unparalleled security complemented by an innovative pricing model perfect for even single-line businesses.

About Trabel
Trabel (Pty) Ltd is a South African technology development company founded in 2019, based primarily in Cape Town and operational throughout South Africa. NoPBX is a cloud-hosted PBX-over-GSM, with support for Android and iOS. More information can be found at www.trabel.co.za and www.nopbx.co.za.