Mobile Spam is Threat to Phone Operators

8 in 10 mobile phone users surveyed have received unsolicited messages and are more likely to change their operator than their mobile number to fight the problem. "Insights into Mobile Spam, World’s First Collaborative Empirical Study" has been produced by the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Intrado subsidiary, bmd wireless, a consortium of industry and academia. Results show that spam - a well known problem from the Internet and e-mail world - will increasingly infect the mobile world.

With complaints about mobile phone spam on the rise, both consumers and businesses see wireless operator self-regulation as the most important action against unsolicited mobile messages or spam. With joint collaboration from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the objective of the study was to analyse differences in the perception of mobile spam issues between consumers and mobile network operators and assess how well the problem is being managed.

The study also documents the effects of mobile spam on consumers and network operators and identifies regional variations from Central Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

Using a comparative research approach, the study analyses perceptions based on 1,659 completed consumer surveys and 154 surveys from mobile service company professionals. Conducted in November and December 2004, the study includes results from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, the United States, Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia. Key findings are listed below:
* Consumers worldwide indicated that mobile spam has a negative impact on the brand of the mobile network operator (MNO). Subscribers would rather change their MNO than apply for a new cell phone number.
* Most complaints about mobile spam are directed toward the MNO. In addition, consumers perceive mobile marketing messages from mobile operators as mobile spam.
* Both consumers and mobile operators expect mobile spam to become more of a problem in the future. 83% of telecommunications industry respondents perceive mobile spam to be a critical issue today or within the next 1-2 years.
* Both consumers and corporations see MNO self-regulation as the most important action against spam. Customer-initiated actions are perceived to be less effective.
* Cancellation of roaming agreements and customer complaint hotlines are the most frequently named actions that MNOs take today against spam.
* MNOs are currently well aware of the effects of mobile spam on consumers. However, most MNOs are presently in a trial-and-error phase, applying reactive measures and testing various technological alternatives for avoiding spam.

Associated Link: Insights into Mobile Spam, World’s First Collaborative Empirical Study

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