Beltelecom to purchase software blocking SMS traffic

Beltelecom, the state internet provider, recently launched tenders to purchase services to pass-through and record A2P SMS traffic, as well as international (A2P, P2P) and inter-network SMS traffic. It also wants to be able to blocking international SMS traffic. One of the tenders will cost Beltelecom about $500,000.

"Blocking of international SMS traffic" may sound menacing to the average person's ear. Some telegram channels describe the purpose of the state purchase as the desire of the authorities "to cut off the country from international communication channels and keep everyone under the hood."

How could Beltelecom install blocking and throughput software threaten the Belarusians? Euroradio asked an A2P-communications expert.

"Absolutely all companies use this tool. In this case, Beltelecom acts as an operator, as a separate business entity that provides services to other businesses. It has nothing to do with cutting off Belarus from the rest of the world," says the expert.

What is the purpose of installing such software?

"There are the usual classic messaging sessions of promotional services that businesses do to communicate with their customers. For example, MTS, Evrotorg, and so on, any company that uses this for marketing purposes," explains the man. "If the alpha name [the sequence of letters that act as the name of the sender of SMS messages in mass mailings -- Euroradio] company would be considered international, traffic would be charged at a different rate. The division between international and national will be made by the operator.

It happens that some companies unfairly use these tools to increase their profits. When third-party traffic is mingled with the national traffic, it violates all the rules for working in that direction.

For example, Google authentication codes come from the alpha name of some other service. In this case, when blocking international traffic, Beltelecom does not want there to be mingling in the names of the clients it will work with. That's why it orders this service, shifts this responsibility to the partner.

Reference: P2P (Person-to-Person) is SMS communication between two subscribers of mobile operators, the standard use of SMS when a message goes from one cell phone to another. A2P (Application-to-Person) provides the ability to send SMS messages not only through a cell phone but also through the Internet using special services. This method allows various organizations to communicate with their target audience.