DUSHANBE, November 17, Asia-Plus  -- With introduction of the CPP (Calling Party Pays) model access of customers of open joint-stock company (OJSC) Tojik Telecom ((Tajikistan’s fixed-line telecommunications) network) to other telecommunications operators will be cut off, Mamour Qairakhonov, an official with Tojik Telecom, announced at a roundtable meeting in Dushanbe on November 16. 

The meeting dedicated to introduction of CPP model gathered together representatives from the ministries of economic development and trade, transport and communications, tax service, and cellular telecommunications operators.   

According to Qairakhonov, Tojik Telecom’s customers who want to have access to other telecommunications operators must get their contracts reissued.  “Additional services will be entered in their contracts,” Qairakhonov said, noting that call from the Tojik Telecom network to another fixed-line network or mobile phone will cost 16.5 dirams per minute, while call rate within the Tojik Telecom network will remain the same – 2 dirams per minute.  

Behzod Fayzulloyev, director general of the cellular telecommunications operator Babilon-M, said that introduction of the CPP model will not affect call rates for mobile phone.  

            The meeting participants noted that introduction of the CPP model allows stopping grey traffic that is a global concern. 

During the meeting it was noted that sometimes people to avoid real charges they have to pay for international calls choose cheap and most of the time unlicensed.  The traffic they terminate comes through illegal and unlicensed sources.  Calls coming from such sources bypass international gateway and hence skips termination charges required for international calls.  The grey traffic problem causes serious damage to the country economy.  

Grey routes are arrangements that fall outside the regular course of business between the licensed telecoms companies in each country.  The grey part of the route is usually at the far end where the call is terminated.  Up to that point, there are normal arrangements to deliver the call from the subscriber to the sending carrier and between the sending carrier and the satellite or cable operator for the trunk part of the call. The grey-ness arises because at the far end the call is made to appear as if it originates locally, as a domestic call, rather than a more expensive international call.  

We will recall that the CPP model will be introduced in Tajikistan beginning on December 1, 2007.