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First Empirical Global Spam Study Indicates More Than 80 Percent of Mobile Phone Users Receive Spam.


ST. GALLEN Coordinates:  St. Gallen (Sankt Gallen   & ZUG Zug (tsk), canton (1993 pop. 87,100), 93 sq mi (241 sq km), N central Switzerland. , Switzerland -- Subscribers Are More Likely to Change Operator Rather Than Mobile Phone Number to Combat Growing Problem

A consortium representing industry and academia today announced the results of the first empirical global study on mobile spam. The study titled "Insights into Mobile Spam, World's First Collaborative Empirical Study" was released today by the University of St. Gallen The University of St. Gallen (in German: Universität St. Gallen) is both a research university, a vocational university and a business school based in St. Gallen, Switzerland. , Switzerland, and Intrado (NASDAQ NASDAQ
 in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on
: TRDO) subsidiary bmd wireless. Results show that spam -- a well known problem from the Internet and e-mail world -- will increasingly infect the mobile world. The study indicates that more than 8 in 10 mobile phone users surveyed have received unsolicited messages and are more likely to change their operator than their mobile number to fight the problem. With complaints about mobile phone spam Also called "SMS spam," it is the sending of unsolicited ads to cellphones and pagers via text messaging. Bluetooth phones provide another door for receiving spam (see Bluesnarfing).  on the rise, both consumers and businesses see wireless operator self-regulation as the most important action against unsolicited mobile messages or spam.

With joint collaboration from the International Telecommunication Union International Telecommunication Union (ITU), specialized agency of the United Nations, with headquarters at Geneva. It was created in 1934 as a result of the merging of the International Telegraph Union (est.  (ITU (International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland, www.itu.ch) A telecommunications standards body that is under the auspices of the United Nations. Comprising more than 185 member countries, the ITU sets standards for global telecom networks. ), the objective of the study was to analyze differences in the perception of mobile spam issues between consumers and mobile network operators and assess how well the problem is being managed. The study also documents the effects of mobile spam on consumers and network operators and identifies regional variations from Central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. In addition, Northern, Southern and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe. , North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere.  and Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. .

Using a comparative research approach, the study analyzes perceptions based on 1,659 completed consumer surveys and 154 surveys from mobile service company professionals. Conducted in November and December 2004, the study includes results from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia (sä`dē ərā`bēə, sou`–, sô–), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. . Key findings are listed below:

--Consumers worldwide indicated that mobile spam has a negative impact on the brand of the mobile network operator (MNO). Subscribers would rather change their MNO than apply for a new cell phone number.

--Most complaints about mobile spam are directed toward the MNO. In addition, consumers perceive mobile marketing messages from mobile operators as mobile spam.

--Both consumers and mobile operators expect mobile spam to become more of a problem in the future. 83 percent of telecommunications industry respondents perceive mobile spam to be a critical issue today or within the next 1-2 years.

--Both consumers and corporations see MNO self-regulation as the most important action against spam. Customer-initiated actions are perceived to be less effective.

--Cancellation of roaming agreements and customer complaint hotlines are the most frequently named actions that MNOs take today against spam.

--MNOs are currently well aware of the effects of mobile spam on consumers. However, most MNOs are presently in a trial-and-error phase, applying reactive measures and testing various technological alternatives for avoiding spam.

"The GSM Association welcomes this first comprehensive study of the increasing phenomenon of mobile spam," said Tom Phillips, Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer, the GSM Association. "Whilst there is no single solution to the mobile spam problem, there are a number of key components to any real solution, including identifying the spammers by rejecting anonymous or spoofed access and making them pay through clear and suitable charging mechanisms."

In addition to the empirical evidence, analysis and survey results, the study provides points of action for companies active in the mobile communication services market and offers insights into likely future developments and implications of mobile spam on product and communication strategies. A press reception will be held on Monday, February 14, 2005, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 3GSM Cannes to discuss the findings in further detail and provide interested members of the media with copies of the entire study. For more details of the study "Insights into Mobile Spam, World's First Collaborative Empirical Study" please visit www.mobilespam.org.

About the University of St. Gallen

The University of St. Gallen, founded in 1898 as a "business academy," is one of the oldest universities of its kind and enjoys an unrivalled reputation in the German-speaking area. In this setting the =mcminstitute, founded in 1998 with support of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Heinz-Nixdorf Foundation, has established itself as a leading international centre in the field of media and communication for research and consulting. Additional information on the =mcminstitute and the University of St. Gallen can be found at www.mcm.unisg.ch.

About Intrado

Intrado Inc. (NASDAQ: TRDO) provides the core of North America's 9-1-1 infrastructure and delivers innovative solutions to communications service providers and public safety organizations, including complex data management, network transactions, wireless data services and notification services. bmd wireless AG is a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary

A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock.

Notes:
In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners.
 of Intrado and a leading global provider of core network messaging solutions. Additional information on Intrado can be found at the Company's Web site: www.intrado.com.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Feb 9, 2005
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