Clampdown on Annoying Mobile Ad Senders Continues

EghtesadOnline: As part of moves to curb unwanted and annoying text message ads, Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority has blocked about 120,000 mobile phone numbers since November 2017, when an automated monitoring system came into effect.

News ID: ۷۸۴۵۸۹

08 April 2019

Via the system people can file complaints with the CRA against the ad senders by conveying their phone number to the communications ombudsman through a text message. They can simply forward the ad senders’ number to 195. The regulator receives the complaints and blocks the number after first warning the advertising company.

CRA Director Hossein Fallah says, “Close to 120,000 SIMs used for sending advertisement messages have been blocked,” news website Webna reported.

The cost of mass advertisement through text messages is significantly low. The ombudsman is planning to curb the number of such adverts by cracking down on firms involved in the method which long has become a nuisance, according to Financial Tribune.

He urged the people to assist the CRA in its’ endeavor to curb text ads by submitting the ad senders’ number to the system.

Fallah censured mobile operators for sending text ads saying, “Operators are banned from sending ad messages to subscribers. They can only send alert notifications for unpaid bills.”

The unwanted ads have been a constant annoyance for cell phone users. To address the problem the CRA introduced the automated system ‘195’ to help subscribers get rid of the unwanted advertisement messages.