The LTA Brought the IGMS to Completion in Liberia with the Assistance of its Partner Global Voice Group

MONROVIA, Liberia, April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Expected benefits of the IGMS Telecom Monitoring System include: increased revenue for the State and the operators, quality of service improvement, fraud mitigation, and jobs creation

Global Voice Group (GVG) is proud to announce that the International Gateway Management System (IGMS), commissioned by the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), is now fully operational.

The IGMS has been officially inaugurated on April 17, 2013, in Monrovia, at the premises of the Network Operation Center built by GVG. The event attracted several stakeholders from the telecommunications industry and the government, including the following: His Excellency Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Vice-President of Liberia, Madam Angelique Weeks, Chairperson of the LTA, LTA's Board of Commissioners, His Excellency Dr. Frederick B. Norke, Minister of Posts & Telecommunications, Mr. Abdullah L. Kamara, LTA Commissioner in charge of the project, Hon. John Ballout, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Telecommunication, Hon. Nimene Batekwa, Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Mr. Graeme Bowker, Director of Business Development at GVG, His Excellency Mr. Zotawon TITUS, Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs, and GSM operators.

By implementing the IGMS, the Republic of Liberia and its telecoms regulatory authority adopt a proactive approach of regulation based on ICT tools and real-time data collection. As a state-of-the-art system used to monitor and enforce compliance with Liberia's regulations pertaining to international interconnections, the IGMS is expected to generate significant additional revenue for both the State and the local operators. The new system also empowers the LTA to effectively intervene in the two following key areas: elimination of fraudulent grey traffic and overall improvement of the quality of service delivered to end-users in Liberia.

Among other positive outcomes, the IGMS will also create employment opportunities for Liberians. The LTA alone has announced the hiring of 23 new staffs.

In her welcome speech, Madam Weeks stressed the benefits of the project for the country. "Telecommunication is one of the biggest catalysts to economic growth, she said. (…) So we must do all we can to make the best of [this sector] in Liberia to the benefit of the government and people…"

Along similar lines, Vice-President Joseph Nyumah Bokai noted that the IGMS will enhance the effective monitoring of the telecoms sector in Liberia. "This mechanism, he said, is a new source of revenue being established by the LTA for the government of Liberia." According to Mr. Abdullah L. Kamara, this additional revenue for the State is estimated to be between US$ 5 to 7 million per year.

Overall, the IGMS will provide the government and the regulator of Liberia with the ICT tools and infrastructure they need to acquire visibility over the telecom sector in the country. As Patrice Baker, CEO of GVG, pointed out: "Regulatory authorities need to get a clear and comprehensive picture of the telecom markets under their jurisdictions. They need more than just periodic reports and incomplete data. Good governance today entails the capacity to collect data on an ongoing basis and actually monitor the sector you have been entrusted to regulate. The mission of GVG is basically to provide this capacity."

About GVG

Founded in 1998, GVG develops implements and operates governance technologies specifically designed with the telecoms regulators in mind. Its advanced traffic and fraud management systems are currently being used successfully in seven countries. GVG is a sector member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).