Interconnect Bypass Fraud

In telecom networks, Interconnect Bypass Fraud is the practice of routing international voice or SMS traffic to a domestic operator through unauthorized means (such as SIM boxes or OTT-to-PSTN gateways) to evade higher international termination rates, depriving operators and regulators of revenue.

Categories: Roaming and InterconnectIdentity and SubscriberFraud

Interconnect Bypass Fraud in context

Roaming and interconnect are where two operators exchange signaling and user-plane traffic. Trust boundaries here are the primary attack surface for location tracking, SMS interception and fraud, which is why GSMA now mandates SEPP with PRINS on 5G interconnect.

Subscriber identifiers (IMSI, SUPI, MSISDN, IMEI) anchor authentication, charging and lawful interception. Any protocol that leaks a permanent identifier is treated as a privacy defect, which is why 5G introduced SUCI concealment on the air interface.

To place Interconnect Bypass Fraud in the wider telecom-security picture, review Bypass Fraud, AKA, Artificial Traffic Inflation, Behavioral Signaling Detection, Cryptography and FASG — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

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