Mobile Premium Services
 What
are mobile premium services?
How
do you get and pay for mobile premium services?
Can
I put a block on my phone so I will not get mobile premium services?
What
complaints does the TIO get about mobile premium services?
How
does the TIO handle complaints about mobile premium services?
What
is the Mobile Premium Services Code?
What
if my complaint happened before 1 July 2009, when the Code started?
Where
can I get more information about mobile premium services?
Where
can I find the documents referred to on this page?
What are mobile premium services?
Mobile premium services (MPS) are information and entertainment
content services delivered to a mobile phone. They are also known
as premium SMS, premium MMS or premium messages.
Customers pay extra for mobile premium services, on top of their
standard mobile usage and service fees.
Examples of mobile premium services:
- Ringtones
- Horoscopes
- Tarot Readings
- Pictures
- Chat services
- Quizzes
- Competitions
For more information see 19
SMS - Your guide to mobile premium services
How do you get and pay for mobile premium
services?
You can buy mobile premium services in many different ways, most
commonly by:
- Texting a request for content from your mobile handset to a
shortcode (a number between 6 and 8 digits long starting with
191, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197 or 199).
- Entering your mobile details on a form on a website
- Clicking on a weblink in a marketing message sent to your mobile
phone (known as WAP marketing or WAP push message)
- Choosing content through a Proprietary Network Service (a 'walled
garden' website portal like 3's 'Planet 3', Optus Zoo, Telstra's
'Mobile Fun', Vodafone Live and Virgin's 'The Vibe')
Mobile premium services can either be one-off purchases or subscription
services. Subsciption services are mobile premium services that
are delivered on an ongoing or periodic basis, like daily weather
reports etc.
Usually charges appear on your mobile bill, but sometimes you pay
for content in advance.
Can I put a block on my phone so I will
not get mobile premium services?
From 1 July 2010, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has made it mandatory that all mobile carriers must provide the option of barring mobile premium services on all mobile services.
This information needs to be conveyed to all customers, new and existing. A mobile carrier must also provide information about mobile premium services at any time, such as how much the service costs, that barring can be enabled on request and how a customer can request barring be enabled. A mobile carrier must not charge a customer to enable mobile premium services barring, or decline to provide a service to a customer on this basis.
The ACMA expects that giving consumers a choice to bar mobile premium services will help them to better manage their mobile expenditure.
What complaints does the TIO get
about mobile premium services?
Common complaints about mobile premium services include claims
from consumers that they:
- did not receive enough information about the service they bought
before they bought it
- did not ask for the mobile premium service listed on their
telephone bill
- have received high bills for mobile premium services
- cannot cancel a mobile premium service and keep getting billed
for it
- cannot communicate with a mobile premium service supplier, or
- have found out that a child has subscribed to unsuitable mobile
premium services.
How does the TIO handle complaints
about Mobile Premium Services?
The TIO deals with each complaint it receives about mobile premium
services on a case by case basis. Like we do for other types of
complaints, we will probably refer your complaint to a resolution
department at your mobile service provider (because charges for
mobile premium services are passed on by your mobile service provider).
If you contact us again to tell us your complaint is still not
resolved, we may become more actively involved in helping you to
resolve your complaint. When we formally investigate complaints
about mobile premium services, we consider:
What is the Mobile Premium Services
Code?
The Mobile Premium Services (MPS) Code is an industry code of practice administered by Communications Alliance and registered by the ACMA. The TIO has the power to investigate possible breaches of the code rules and report on these to the ACMA.
The objective of the MPS Code is to establish appropriate community safeguards and customer service requirements for Mobile Premium Services (MPS Code Clause 1.4).
The Code - which came into effect on 1 July 2009 - is the first part of the ACMA's approach to addressing ongoing and systemic problems in the mobile premium services industry. The ACMA also plans to introduce a coherent and comprehensive monitoring framework and make a service provider determination that will:
- from 1 July 2010, require mobile carriers to provide the option of barring premium SMS services on all plans. As a way to help better manage their mobile expenditure, this will give consumers a choice to block such services if they wish to.
What if my complaint happened before
1 July 2009, when the Mobile Premium Services Code started?
We will still investigate your complaint but instead of seeing
whether your provider followed the rules in the Mobile Premium Services
Code we will check whether it followed the rules in the Mobile Premium
Services Industry (MPSI) Scheme.
The MPSI Scheme was an industry-based self-regulatory industry
scheme with rules about providing mobile customers with clear and
transparent information about the costs and terms and conditions
on which mobile premium services are offered, and about the handling
of complaints about mobile premium services.
The rules in the MPSI Scheme applied from 28 October 2006 to 30
June 2009.
Where can I get more information
about mobile premium services?
Where can I find the documents referred
to on this page?
C637:2009
Mobile Premium Services Code (pdf 512kb) and Guideline
C628:2007
The Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (pdf 352kb)
Restricted
Access Systems Declaration 2007 - via ACMA website
Mobile
Premium Services Industry (MPSI) Scheme rules and MPSI
Scheme guideline
Mobile Premium Services Barring Determination 2010
TIO position
statements
Page created: 30 March 2007
Page updated:
29 June, 2010
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