DOHA: Qtel has step up its campaign this month to remind companies against spam and unsolicited SMS messages.
Unwanted SMS has been a hot topic on social media in Qatar recently, with customers taking to Facebook and Twitter to complain about the problems of receiving multiple unwanted messages specially during odd hours.
In 2011, Qtel introduced a code of conduct for companies that use SMS to communicate with customers warning them about harsh penalties including fines and potential disconnection for businesses that use so-called "spam" to advertise to customers.
At the heart of the policy is the commitment that companies can only send SMS to customers that have agreed to receive such messages, and that customers who request to be removed from a mailing list should be taken off immediately.
Companies are also bound to clearly advise customers how they can opt-out of messaging services.
Qtel's reminder campaign is part of a longer-term strategy, which will see the company use advanced network scanning technology to analyse samples of bulk-issued messages to ensure that all recipients have agreed to be on the mailing list.
Penalties for companies that break these rules include fines of up to QR500,000 and even possible termination of accounts.
All premium content providers in Qatar have all agreed to a code of conduct that enables customers to discontinue receiving messages by sending the short code "STOP" along with the name of the service.
To protect Qatar from global spam, Qtel also operates an international SMS filter, which prevents spam SMS coming from overseas. The filter prevents SMS coming from dubious international sources, with the exception of a small number of legitimate registered companies.
Qtel is also reminding customers that they can request promotional messages from specific companies in Qatar to be blocked from their phones.
To do so, customers can send UNSUB to 92600 (e.g. send the text "UNSUB 92699" to 92600 in order to stop receiving messages from 92699).
For premium message services, customers can opt out by sending the message "STOP" to the specific short-code, along with the name of the service.
© The Peninsula 2011
