The Wireless Application Service Providers' Association (WASPA) has terminated T-Mobile SA's membership, which prevents the company from operating as a wireless application service provider (WASP).
T-Mobile's expulsion is only the second time the association has ever terminated a WASP's membership. The first was Vending for Africa, which had its membership terminated at the end of 2006.
T-Mobile SA, which is not affiliated with the German cellular company T-Mobile, was found guilty of subscribing people to its services without permission.
Vodacom, MTN and Cell C require companies to be WASPA members to have access to their networks.
A WASP provides mobile content, such as daily quotes and winning lotto numbers, to subscribers through SMS that are carried by the mobile operators.
A complaint against T-Mobile SA was lodged in December last year. According to WASPA's adjudication report, the complainant was subscribed to an SMS service without consent and started receiving inspirational quotes at R3 an SMS.
WASPA's code of conduct stipulates that customers cannot automatically be subscribed to a service, and they need to receive a confirmation message when signing up for a content subscription.
In addition, WASPs must provide the association with proof of subscription when required. The company must also show that necessary reminder SMSes have been sent to the subscriber.
WASPA's ruling found that T-Mobile had breached its code of conduct, because it didn't provide a welcome message, proof of subscription and wouldn't disclose the source of the complainant's personal information.
Reversal of fortune
Kevin Jacobson, MTN's GM of business indirect sales, says the cellular company is in the process of terminating its agreement with T-Mobile SA. He says MTN received a large number of complaints about the WASP's conduct and reversed about 155 000 SMSes, worth around R465 000.
Jacobson says MTN sent a message to its subscribers to warn them that they had been signed up to receive inspirational quotes, because the pattern of complaints against T-Mobile SA was unusual. Subscribers complained they didn't sign up to the service, and never received a confirmation message, he adds.
Vodacom's executive head of commercial business partners, Nomsa Thusi, says WASPs must belong to WASPA and comply with its code of conduct. “Since T-Mobile contravened the code of conduct which resulted in its WASPA membership being revoked, we've had to terminate its WASP agreement.”
T-Mobile SA did not respond to the complaint lodged with WASPA. ITWeb unsuccessfully tried to contact the company for comment.
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