Mobile phone providers ring in changes to jam the spam

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Mobile phone providers ring in changes to jam the spam

Published: 11/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Thailand's three major mobile phone operators - AIS, DTAC and True Move - have agreed to joint countermeasures to block up to 9 million spam text messages a day.

The three operators will spend 30 million baht on anti-spam software using an application centre to filter unsolicited advertising across their networks.

Customers at present can only inform their mobile operators to block spam messages if they are sent from within the same network.

Starting from Aug 31, the new software will be able to reduce SMS spam by up to 90% of the 10 million junk messages sent every day.

To block unwanted content, mobile users must contact their call centre numbers - AIS at 1175, DTAC at 1678 and True Move at 1331.

Spam SMS sent from any of the three networks will be automatically blocked within 24 hours of a complaint.

AIS has 28 million subscribers, DTAC 20 million and True Move 15 million. The country's largest operator handles about 100 million text messages a day, DTAC about the same, while True Move registers 70 million.

Each operator also handles another 10 million bulk text messages for businesses to send marketing and advertising content.

The amount of spam SMS has annoyed many customers, especially messages selling products and services.

Somchai Lertsutiwong, executive vice president for marketing at Advanced Info Service, said the cooperative effort was aimed at protecting customers from junk advertising messages.

The measures would not block "white" messages relating to financial information and financial transaction updates from banks.

Thana Thienachariya, chief commercial officer at DTAC, said bulk SMS was a unique low-cost advertising and marketing tool.

He said the new measures would cut into the revenue of the operators as it would affect the purchase of bulk SMS.

But they needed to protect consumers' rights, he said.

Suphakit Vuntanadit, chief commercial officer at True Move, said he hoped the cooperation could be extended to benefit mobile phone users.

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Writer: SRISAMORN PHOOSUPHANUSORN

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The Same Ghost

Discussion 10 : 11/08/2009 at 04:58 PM10
To put it simply ... these mobile phone providers are playing BOTH the "GHOST" & the "GHOST HUNTERS". period.

Consumers have been victimized & screwed in every other ways for far too long.
bongo

Discussion 9 : 11/08/2009 at 02:54 PM9
They are missing the point. It is the mobile operators themselves who are sending the spam!

For example: No! I am not intersted in downloading a Super Junior ringtone from AIS mobile life at 3 in the morning!!!!!!!!
Red Capitalist Turning Blood Red

Discussion 8 : 11/08/2009 at 02:05 PM8
How hypocrite can you be?

To invest money to stop an activity you have started yourself?!

That money is OUR money, because it is income generated on the providers' clients.

I am disgusted with the DTAC spam - spam produced and distributed by DTAC, for DTAC as well as by the companies it has sold our numbers to.

Otherwise DTAC is doing a very good job in almost every way, but their spam is sickening. I often wake up from the sound of a spam sms, unable to catch my sleep again.

If there was true competition, there would be a provider who really cared about its clients. In Thailand, there isn't.

Fixed line misery is different but not less. Three weeks ago TOT - which earlier acted criminally twice, by seriously violating our contract and extorting thousands of baht - erroneously disconnected one of my phone lines; it has failed to reconnect it until this day...

If I had confidence in the legal system, I would take those criminals to court.
Farang banok

Discussion 7 : 11/08/2009 at 01:42 PM7
My Nokia phone has Symbian as an operating system.

With that I can use a (cheap) programme called "Handy Blacklist" and after one SPAM message I can block any further ones.

Also can block unwanted, unknown and concealed phone numbers.

Should be installed by the manufacturer - or offered free by the Service Providers.

Cheers Farang
never

Discussion 6 : 11/08/2009 at 01:10 PM6
This will not stop .. they appear to want to stop spam but it is in their financial interest. Sell your phone numbers to the spammers and then charge them for the SMS -- where do think spammers send their SMSes from .. obviously from the networks themselves-- it is a big cash cow for the carriers - they will not let this stop although they pretend to want to help .. just so you know SMS is the component of telecom industry with highest margins ..to the tune of like 1000% compared to the cost of sending it.
Guenter Bellach

Discussion 5 : 11/08/2009 at 10:37 AM5
What about the spam from the providers themselves, especially AIS? Will that be discontinued also ?
Joakim Leroy

Discussion 4 : 11/08/2009 at 08:05 AM4
Well, I got so many spams recently with True (about 10 a day), and I didn't realize until recently that they were also charging me 40 baths a month to be spammed! Luckily for me, my Thai friend called 1331 and complained so much that in the end, True credited my account back.

> And yes, how do the advertiser/spammers get our phone number in the first place anyway...?
pissedoff

Discussion 3 : 11/08/2009 at 07:45 AM3
well how the hell did the spammer's get our phone number in the first place???First thing they should do is stop selling our phone numbers to advertisers. This crap never happened to me back in America with At&T or Sprint.
Bill Canada

Discussion 2 : 11/08/2009 at 07:44 AM2
Thank you for your effort. I hope it works. Discussion one is right on about annoying. While I don't get more than three or four a day, it seems like more + they come at inconvenient times.
Ozman_Bkk

Discussion 1 : 11/08/2009 at 07:34 AM1
I trust this spam software fix will solve the problem. I get a stream of this rubbish every day and it is damned annoying.

Mobile phone providers ring in changes to jam the spam