New Mobile Rules Mean Premium Safeguards for SMS
01 November 2012
New rules to come into effect on July 1 will give consumers the choice of barring all premium SMS from their mobile phones and thus preventing unwanted premium SMS charges, according to a statement issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
“If you don’t want these services, you can simply contact your phone company and ask for them to be turned off,” said ACMA chairman Chris Chapman. “This will be a great option for parents who want to make sure their kids don’t sign up for something without understanding the charges. And people trying to manage their phone budget canstop premium charges by barring these services from their phone.”
Chapman says the measure will help “mobile users feel confident they will only receive and pay for services they actually want.”
New rules to stop mobile phone companies engaging with rogue operators are also being developed. Following the measures introduced last year, complaints to the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman about premium SMS services have decreased by 50%.
“That is a dramatic turnaround,” said Chapman. “The ACMA expects this trend to continue and will be monitoring the industry closely over the next twelve months to ensure that consumer concerns are being adequately addressed.”