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Junk messages on mobile phones irk users

"Receiving junk e-mail is just like receiving junk mail in your mailbox, while getting junk cellphone messages is more like someone sending junk mail directly into your bedroom."

Joseph Lin, chairman of Net Consumers Association

First there was junk mail, then junk e-mail and now junk phone messages. And while some cellphone addicts like getting ads that introduce new products, others are less than happy with the invasion of privacy.

A consumer protection group said yesterday that a growing legion of cellphone users are becoming upset about advertisements sent as short messages to their handsets.

"Since cellphones are a very personal, always reachable communication tool, junk cellphone messages are much more disturbing than junk mail or e-mail," Joseph Lin (林世華), chairman of Net Consumers' Association Taiwan (網路消費協會) said at a press event yesterday.

"Receiving junk e-mail is just like receiving junk mail in your mailbox, while getting junk cellphone messages is more like someone sending junk mail directly into your bedroom," he said.

With the telecom business sagging, most mobile phone service operators are promoting data services such as short message services (SMS) as a new revenue driver.

The more advanced handsets also offer access to information searches, location services and data downloads.

One example of the flurry of phone ads came during the World Cup last month. Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信), Chunghwa Telecom Co Ltd (中華電信), Taiwan Cellular Corp (台灣大哥大) and its subsidiary TransAsia Telecommunication Inc (泛亞電信) sent out hundreds of thousands of soccer-related message ads.

Short message ads hawk services that enabled users to download soccer team logos, receive the latest match results and place bets via their cellphones.

The services were also promoted heavily on TV and in the print media, helping both Chunghwa and Taiwan Cellular to sell more than 2.5 million messages at between NT$2.5 to NT$5 a pop.

However, not everyone that received the randomly sent ads was over-joyed at receiving them.

"Over the last few weeks, we received many e-mail complaints about the high frequency of messages during the World Cup," Lin said.

Others expressed confusion.

"I was terrified by the strange `beep' sound when I first received the message," said James Hung (洪金鈞), 52, an executive in a trading company.

Hung said he only used his phone for "communications," adding that he "I don't want to make my life more complicated ? I don't want those data services."

One analyst said the use of message ads won't disappear.

"As mobile-phone functions continue to develop, more marketing gimmicks such as multimedia or video advertisements may show up on handsets ? mobile phones have become the new space for commercials," said Ann Liang (梁嘉玲), a market analyst at Gartner Dataquest in Taipei.

The government has a responsibility to figure out how to regulate it, she said.

A Directorate General of Tele-communications official outlined recently developed guidlines that were proposed to phone companies.

"We sat down with all operators in May and reached a consensus on transmitting promotional messages," said Chang Kang-Lung (張康隆), a vice-director at the directorate.

Starting this month, companies will send out questionaires allowing users to choose whether they want to receive promotional short messages or not. Operators have also agreed to not send ad messages between 12 noon and 1:30pm and between 9pm to 9am. In addition, an ad will now only be sent once, Chang said.
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