| For a particular problem of the telecom industry to | | | | millions of phones, and neither carriers nor consumers |
| affect an acronym, it must be important, and it is. It's | | | | are keen on that idea. One option may be in the |
| SMS spam. Mobile phones have traditionally been less | | | | united effort that GSMA is promoting. By partnering |
| bothered by this type of marketing, but it is catching | | | | with mobile networks all over the world, a pool of |
| up in use and popularity. The lowered costs of text | | | | spammers can be identified and essentially frozen out. |
| messaging make mobile phones a nice target for | | | | If not stopped, they can at least be curbed and it will |
| spammers. This is believed to be enough of a trend | | | | also allow appropriate law enforcement to seek them |
| that GMSA is working to provide an environment | | | | out. France is one of the first countries to employ |
| where it cannot be replicated in the mobile world the | | | | this technique, and the results so far are promising. |
| way it has run rampant in the computer world. | | | | More than a half million people have used the short |
| For mobile phone marketers and users, this is an | | | | code provided for reporting spam, and spammer's |
| important development. Since about 90% of all email | | | | phone numbers have been disconnected as a result. |
| is spam, an effort to avoid the same waste of time | | | | The only debate on taming SMS spamming will come |
| and money on mobile phones is important. Already, it | | | | from those who believe it is censorship. This was |
| is thought that the average U.K.and U.S. mobile phone | | | | clearly an argument aimed at IMB after they helped |
| user sees about 10% in SMS spam with Asian | | | | China Mobile with an anti-spam solution. What is |
| countries already at a whopping 20%. | | | | correct is that the onus of dealing with spammers is |
| In years past, one thing that stopped a widespread | | | | on the network carriers. |
| use of SMS spam was the cost of text messaging. It | | | | A few are already offering alternative SMS channels |
| was an expensive proposition for the spammer to | | | | for advertisers as a way to keep all of their users |
| use, and when they could use email spam for free, it | | | | happy, but the trend may not catch on at all. For the |
| seemed to make little sense. Now with lower cost | | | | consumer who wants more control, there are apps |
| text messaging plans, and mobile internet access, it | | | | becoming available to block not only SMS spam but |
| will start to grow. Spammers are well aware of how | | | | spam calls too. These apps can be worthwhile, but |
| popular mobile internet access has become, and are | | | | do come with some drawbacks. Many will not allow |
| on the move to take advantage. | | | | the phone to accept calls or messages from numbers |
| Any legal action against spammers has to work | | | | not stored in the phone, and the user has to compile |
| somewhat differently from the simple spam blocks | | | | a list of spam type words. And for users who are |
| used with email. If a sender has paid for a message, | | | | not tech minded, the installation of the apps can be |
| by contract it must be delivered. Of course, there | | | | complicated. There is no one step solution for |
| are terms of service agreements, but spammers | | | | consumers or carriers to date, and one can expect |
| aren't going to abide by those. SMS spam folders are | | | | that SMS spam will get worse before it gets better. |
| an option but would require updating firmware on | | | | |