RURA cautions telecom operators on unsolicited messages

Hardly a day passes without one’s phone buzzing with an unsolicited text message. However, this is against the law. Official at the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Authority (RURA), say that sending unsolicited text messages without the ‘unsubscribe’ option contravenes the law relating to electronic messages, electronic signatures and electronic transactions. “The law is clear – that each telecommunication service provider sending text messages to clients to advertise or promote products and services should give them the choice to unsubscribe and detail the process involved. All the operators are aware of this,” said Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, the head of communication and media regulation at RURA with Business Times. This follows numerous complaints from telecom subscribers over being bombarded with messages they have never subscribed for by telecom firms, and without the unsubscribe option. Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the MTN Rwanda chief marketing officer, last week said the firm has started sorting out the problem, noting that the number of random text messages sent to subscribers has greatly reduced. “Most of the customers are not happy when they receive the messages that don’t concern them. “So after we got feedback to this effect, we started putting in place measures to cut down on the number of messages sent to customers. In fact, we try as much as possible to ensure that SMSs are targeted to particular clients,” she said on Thursday. Both the firm and other firms use the text messaging platform to market their products and services. For a non-telecom firm to send bulk messages, all they have to do is get a short code from the regulator, RURA, build their system and buy SMSs in bulk from an operator like MTN Rwanda. Geoffrey Kamalo, the managing director of SMSNation Mobile, a bulk SMS company, said it is wrong for companies to send messages to non- subscribers. “We usually create contact lists of people that have opted to receive our messages,” he said. “People hate the SMS approach because it is intrusive and irritating, especially when you are expecting a message from your bank or a girlfriend,” noted Allan Brian Ssenyonga, a social media and communications analyst. “The other level of annoyance is when they send these messages almost daily.” Ssenyonga urged RURA to push telecoms to send the messages to only those who subscribe for them, and also provide an option for clients to unsubscribe or block the texts. ben.gasore@newtimes.co.rw

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RURA cautions telecom operators on unsolicited messages