Regulatory bodies unite to combat mobile spam

TWO State regulatory bodies have joined forces with mobile phone companies to combat spam.

The crackdown on unsolicited premium text messages is being spearheaded by the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) and the Regulator for Premium Rate Telecommunications (RegTel).

The move follows a massive rise in complaints from people who are receiving, and being charged for, text messages they never sought.

The DPC received 150 such complaints in the days after a Prime Time report on the issue was broadcast on RTÉ last month.

This brought to more than 200 the total number of complaints the body has received this year — compared to 76 in 2005.

It is understood the office is concentrating its resources on three or four companies, which are the subject of most complaints.

RegTel said there had been an “unprecedented and dramatic” rise in complaints from people in 2005, with 13,321 complaints.

In its 2006 annual report, RegTel said 94% of the complaints were to do with subscription services, such as unsolicited text messages.

The trade has been described by the Consumers’ Association of Ireland as a “legal rip-off”.

DPC Billy Hawkes and RegTel boss Pat Breen said they were committed to working together and using the “full resources” of their offices to safeguard the rights of consumers who do not want such messages.

“Where someone asks via text messages to stop receiving such messages, the messages must be stopped as required by law,” said Mr Hawkes.

There are estimated to be 370 companies authorised to send text messages in Ireland on networks such as Meteor, O2, 3 and Vodafone.