Telcos deploy strategies to curb unsolicited SMS as festive season begins

Telecommunication Companies in Nigeria are deploying new initiatives and capabilities, including the implementation of multi-million naira anti-spam software on their respective networks to curb the rising spate of unsolicited SMS (Short Messaging Service) being delivered to the phones of holders of the country’s over 130 million lines.

Industry insiders have said that this anti-spam software technology will help telecoms operators filter the unsolicited SMS passing through their networks as communication traffic rises during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

In recent times, Nigerians subscribers have been expressing their discontent about the deluge of unsolicited messages flowing freely, with no form of restriction, across all networks in the country.
A recent survey conducted on mobile marketing by Gemalto, an international digital security company, clearly captures the frustration of Nigerian telecommunications subscribers.
Eighty percent of respondents in Nigeria feel ‘annoyed’ when they received spam SMS messages. This situation, according to market observers, is further compounded as the Christmas and New Year celebrations approach.

Earlier in the year, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the regulator of the telecommunications industry, said it was planning to come down hard on mobile operators over rising complaints from subscribers regarding unsolicited SMS and forceful activation of Value Added Services (VAS) without explicit consent. Some market observers are of the view that the issue of unsolicited SMS should not be dumped at the doorsteps of the operators alone, due to the proliferation of gorilla marketers who make a living obtaining, buying and selling subscriber data captured from a myraid of sources . “We have activated the ‘Do Not Disturb’ option on the network for those who do not want unsolicited SMS. But, we do not want to make this function automatic”, said Aremu Olajide, director, Globacom, at an industry forum in Lagos recently.

“A subscriber can request for this option on our care centre”, he further added.
The GSMA, a global body protecting the interest of operators, said in a report that subscribers regard unsolicited SMS as an invasion of personal space.The report states that subscribers expect their operator to provide protection.
“We have activated an anti-spam software, which has been on our network for 3-4 years now”, said Ibe Nwandu, consumer manager for Airtel Nigeria. “Most of these SMS do not originate from us”, he said.

During festive season, many organisations, including banks, churches, mosques, retail stores, recreational centres, even mobile networks themselves, send out a deluge of messages on new promotional and marketing campaigns.
The survey conducted by Gemalto however revealed consumers in Nigeria desire to be in control of the mobile marketing campaigns they receive. Eighty-three percent of respondents also consider that mobile marketing should be permission-based and 90 percent want to be able to easily identify the sender of the message.

Nigerian subscribers also want messages to be relevant to them and there is room for improvement in this respect, as nearly 70 percent said they received promotional messages not in line with their interests. More importantly, as the elections in 2015 draw even closer, politicians are beginning to engage the services of bulk SMS providers as part of their campaign strategy. “We are working with approved bulk service providers to ensure that they adhere strictly to standards and best practice”, said Akinwale Goodluck, corporate services executive at MTN Nigeria.

“The problem of people receiving text messages at unholy hours has gone away”, Goodluck assured. Maryam Bayi, director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, said the commission receives numerous complaints from telecoms subscribers on various issues affecting them.
“Again, the operators have become sensitive to consumers complaints. But we insist that they must do more. Bayi charged operators to ensure that consumers of telecoms services and products get value for their money.