Ruddy L. González
They are known in the neighborhoods as ‘wiferos’. People know them as much as they identify the man who climbs the pole to make an illegal electrical connection. Many know their business is illegal, but they use them. Authorities have received complaints, but are not acting to prevent the spread of this fraud that harms the state, users, telephone. It is the illegal sale of internet signals.
Despite news from authorities warning people to take care of their WhatsApp accounts so they can be stolen, or from banks to their customers about increasingly sophisticated cyber scams to steal their money from accounts, it has caused surprise information on this new type of crime: illegal sale of internet signals.
And although the telecommunications companies have made public the complaint, no action is known by the authorities, not even a public statement warning about the issue that harms the state, for the taxes that escape it, and users for the interconnection problems they suffer.
The Association of Communications and Technology Companies (COMTEC), an organization that groups the main telecommunications companies operating in the country, has denounced this illegal operation, and this week has reiterated its call to the authorities to apply the necessary measures to curb the practice.
“COMTEC and its member companies require the authorities to prosecute the ‘wiferos’, who illegally resell the Internet service to eliminate distortions in the telecommunications market to the detriment of all users, the state, providers and its authorized resellers “, explained Clàudia García, executive director of the sector collective.
Where they operate the most
What started at some point as an illegal ‘stick’ of internet service to some neighbor, relative or friend, has become a business that is expanding like the greengrocer by sectors and cities, without seemingly nobody stops them.
The “wiferos” contract high-power services, between 100MB and 300MB of ‘download’ and ‘upload’ Internet, legally in some of the telecommunications companies and illegally ‘resell’ this signal using wifi systems.
The communities with the highest incidence of illegal resale of the Internet are Santiago (Virella and Beijing sectors); National District (sectors of the Rivers, Agricultural Towns, Deep Stream I and Luperón); La Romana (El Picapedra sector); Sant Cristòfol; Sant Pere de Macorís; Espaillat (Sector Center Moca); Santo Domingo (sectors Satellite City, Lost Savannah, Pantoja, Buenos Aires of Herrera, the Admiral and Ozama); Peravia (Baní Center sector) and in Boca Chica.
For each surcharge of RD $ 100 sold to access the Internet, the State no longer receives RD $ 30, not including the taxes that should be paid on the income accrued by the person (natural or legal) who benefits from the transaction.
In contrast, illegal internet resellers or ‘wiferos’ operate under all maneuvers of informality and illegality, which gives them advantages of clandestine businesses that affect authorized lenders and resellers, causing congestion in the networks. uncontrolled, to the detriment of customers of the legally contracted service, at the time they evade the payment of taxes, affected the Dominican State.
There are currently multiple broadband / fiber optic wholesale service offerings in the Dominican Republic, so people who venture into the Internet market can contract with the providers that best fit their business plans.
Contributions to the economy
Garcia explains that COMTEC member companies have invested more than $ 140 billion pesos in the last eight years for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure and networks throughout the country. In 2020, for example, the investment for the expansion of networks exceeds $ 15 billion pesos, which has allowed today 77% of the country’s population to have access to Internet service, while 68% of the inhabitants have access to mobile Internet, making it one of the most connected countries in the region.
The telecommunications sector in the Dominican Republic handles 10,465,169 telephone lines, a total of 9,308,446 mobile lines, 6,976,939 prepaid mobile customers, 2,331,507 postpaid mobile customers, 1,156,723 fixed lines, 646,393 fixed lines local, 510,330 fixed IP lines, 804,589 restricted TV subscribers.
Internet access in the country totals 9,010,715 accounts. The Dominican Republic has an interconnected public network that currently covers 99% of the population for access to mobile services, including 95% to LTE, 77% of the population has access to Internet service, 28% of the households have access to broadband internet and 68% of the population has access to mobile internet.
FIGURES
Growth.
In the period January-December 2014-2016, the average growth of telecommunications sector was 5%, while between 2014-2019 it grew 3.35%, due to the volumes in internet services in recent years and in services mobile phones.