VietNamNet Bridge – The HCMC Department of Information and Communications has requested mobile carriers to submit their detailed plans for blocking unwanted text messages to mobile phone users and enhancing information management on their networks before February 4 this year.

A subscriber reads spam on her mobile phone. Mobile carriers have yet to come up with effective solutions to stop SMS spam

The department made the request at a meeting with representatives of mobile service operators in the city on January 27. The objective is to better implement the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Directive 82 issued last year to crack down on SMS spam and fraudulent texts, and enhance information management of mobile networks.

As required by the department, mobile service providers have to prevent SMS spam, and text mobile users warning against the harm of spam and fraudulent messages.

Bui Viet Duong, head of the post and telecommunications division at the department, said inspectors of the agency found many organizations using SIM cards and software to send spam SMS messages last year. After sending thousands of spam messages, they destroyed those SIM cards and the inspectors detected several organizations having more than 5,000 cards to spread those messages.

The department urged mobile operators to apply technical measures to stop spam and fraud, as well as inform mobile users of the charges when calling or sending messages to call centers.

Senders of ad messages must register the SIM cards they use and the contents they send with the Ministry of Information and Communications, and mobile operators must have solutions to help mobile subscribers block unwanted messages.

Mobile phone users need to know well about the charge of each message they send for voting contestants of game shows. Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) is required to ensure that mobile users only have to make payments after they are informed of the charge when sending messages to the call center 1900.

Last year, VNPT blocked more than 689 SIM cards used to spread spam messages and109 content providers (CP). The group has announced fees of more than half of active 1900 CPs to mobile users.

MobiFone has applied a technique to prevent spam in terms of frequency and is working on solutions to stop it in terms of content from April this year.

Le Thai Hy, director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications, said spam still benefits mobile operators, so they lack enthusiasm to deal with this.

SGT