WASPA urges SA to help combat spam

In light of the proliferation of mobile communication and the concomitant incidence of spam, the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of SA (WASPA) urges mobile communications providers and consumers to collaborate in creating an anti-spam culture.

According to researchers, the prevalence of spam on the Internet has reached sky-high proportions, with an estimated 90% of all e-mail traffic being attributed to spam. WASPA warns that, as mobile communication grows in popularity, mobile spam, or m-spam, is similarly increasing. “However, m-spam is currently nowhere close to the problem of e-mail spam - yet.”

According to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, there are around 40 million mobile phone users in SA as of this year.

WASPA was formed in 2004 as a voluntary self-regulatory body with the responsibility of representing and self-regulating mobile-based value-added service providers, or WASPs.

While membership of WASPA has been made compulsory by SA's top three mobile operators Vodacom, MTN and Cell C as a condition of them providing services to WASPs, it is possible for entities to circumvent regulation of the propagation of SMSes.

Previously, companies wanting to send commercial PC-generated SMSes had to sign up as WASPs with mobile operators.

However, after the Electronic Communications Act came into effect, it became possible for more entities to obtain individual electronic communications network services licences, allowing companies to sign interconnect agreements and send SMSes without becoming WASPs.

According to Pieter Streicher, MD of BulkSMS.com, the A2P SMS market is worth more than R1 billion a year to the local network operators combined.

WASPA says it is understandable that many find m-spam more offensive than e-mail spam, because a mobile device is a personal entity. “Unwanted and uninvited communication on this highly-personal device thus tends to feel much more intrusive.”

Chairperson of WASPA's code of conduct working group, Russel Stromin, says it is vital that the mobile communications industry and consumers of mobile content work hard to combat spam as a matter of urgency. “We all need to cooperate on ways to stem the tide before m-spam swamps us all and degrades what is a brilliant marketing and communications medium.”

WASPA says that, while commercial SMS messaging in SA is regulated by the association, messaging providers that send messages via unauthorised routes to bypass its jurisdiction are not easy to track down, resulting in the originators of such SMSes continuing with impunity.

“Thus, businesses should only use messaging providers that are members of WASPA. WASPA provides a list of its members at http://www.waspa.org.za/members/index.php. WASPA members are also required to display their membership of WASPA on their Web sites.”

To ensure that messages are sent via a legitimate route, businesses should also verify that the originating number of messages is registered at http://www.smscode.co.za/index.asp. WASPA adds that legitimate numbers will always be local, using the +27 South African dialling prefix.

When consumers receive commercial SMS messages, they should also check the SMS Code Web site, http://www.smscode.co.za/index.asp, to see whether a registered number was used. If not, they should take the matter up with the business, and urge it to use a member of WASPA.

“Pressure from customers is the surest way to change behaviours, because the customer is still king, no matter what anyone says,” notes Stromin.

When unsolicited messages are received from WASPA members, a complaint can be logged at WASPA's Web site, www.waspa.org.za.

“If all businesses use only WASPA members for messaging, and only send via registered originating numbers, WASPA will be able to regulate the commercial SMS messaging space much better. This will increase the value of SMS messaging for all,” concludes Stromin.