CMOs Must Seek Users’ Consent Before Activating Value Added Services: PTA

Over time and time again, mobile users have been complaining that they get automatically subscribed to the value-added services offered by CMOs, This auto subscription has costed many users due to which the consumers have been lodging complaints.  Keeping that in mind, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has ordered the Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) to send mandatory confirmation messages to their consumers to get explicit consent for activation of Value Added Services.

CMOs Must Seek Users’ Consent Before Activating Value Added Services: PTA

Furthermore, CMOs have been asked to submit a compliance report in the time period of 3 weeks from the issuance of the order. According to the PTA, it has received a large number of complaints which pertain that Value Added Service, which also includes Third Party Content/games, are sometimes activated by mobile operators without the prior consent of the users. Value-added service is a famous telecommunications industry term for non-core services, or, more simply all the services apart from standard voice calls, SMS, MMS, and data usage. Sometimes, they are also used by companies to promote their businesses.

In response to the complaints, PTA has issued serious notice as activation of any Value Added Services without explicit consumer’s consent is a violation of Clause 9 (3) (vii) of “Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2009”.

It is a great initiative taken by the PTA to curb such value-added service activation. The step is expected to provide great relief to mobile consumers. As a governing telecom body, PTA is committed to safeguarding the interests and rights of users of telecommunication services in Pakistan.

Check out: PTA Extends Support to Sri Lankan Telecom Regulator For Implementation of Mobile Number Portability

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