Econet in trouble with authorities

TELECOMS giant Econet is under fire over unsolicited text messages it is sending to subscribers, with the Postal Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) saying it was looking into the matter after receiving complaints over the unwarranted messages.

The spam messages are usually promotional texts on football, health and other matters and sometimes they ask subscribers with a number to text or call, a link to a website for more information, or a link to a website to download something.

Potraz acting director-general Alfred Marisa told Chronicle yesterday that the authority had engaged Econet on the issue, saying subscribers should be given the option to consent before receiving any texts messages from any telecommunications company in the country.

Marisa said the regulatory authority received complaints from subscribers last week and immediately launched an investigation in a bid to try and resolve the matter.

"Before any telecommunications company sends bulk text messages, subscribers should be given the opportunity to consent. Even if the text messages are promotions, the subscribers should be given an option to opt out if they are not interested in the services being advertised," said Marisa.

"We received a complaint last week and we have since taken up the issue with Econet to hear their side of the story. We're expecting a response from Econet this week."

Marisa added that the authority does not allow telecommunications companies to abuse subscribers.

"All the companies are fully aware that it's against the law to send text messages to subscribers without them consenting or at least having an option to opt out. We don't allow such abuse.

"If we receive complaints from subcribers of other telecommunication companies we'll also take up the issue. At the moment we have only received complaints from Econet subcribers," said Marisa.

Econet spokesperson Rangarirai Mberi could not be reached for comment.

Econet subcribers told Chronicle that they were fed up with the unsolicited messages from the mobile company.

"Something has to be done about these unsolicited promotion texts, especially from Econet. A day never passes without them sending more than five text messages. I decided to remove all alerts and notifications for sms. About 95 percent of all text messages I receive are from Econet," said Vincent Ncube, an Econet subscriber.

"I hope that our regulator, Potraz will do something to protect us. Unlike email spam, sms spam cannot be deleted without opening it first and some people's phones don't have sms spam filters."

Another subscriber Patricia Dube said while the promotions were important to some people, it was also important for Potraz to put in place a code of conduct for commercial messages to protect mobile phone users from sms spam. "In all cases of sms spam, the sender should give the recipient an option to unsubscribe from the mailing list but Econet is not doing that.

"A vendor has no right under the constitution or otherwise to send unwanted material into the home or domain of another. Therefore, if a receiver of unsolicited text messages does not want to keep receiving them, the sender must simply stop," said Dube.

She added that she attempted to send a message saying "stop" in response to a particular sms spam and in response the spammer responded saying "sms messaging cannot currently be changed".