Nokia fined for spam texts in Australia

HELSINKI: Australian regulators fined Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone maker by volume, for spamming customers and demanded the Finnish firm change its text message (SMS) marketing.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that some of the texts Nokia sends to clients as tips to get more out of their phones promote Nokia without offering an “unsubscribe” option as required by local law.

The regulator said in a statement Nokia had agreed to train its employees engaged in SMS marketing about legal requirements and to pay a fine of 55,000 Australian dollars ($57,750).

“Some businesses are still not getting SMS marketing right. The same rules apply to SMS marketing as for email marketing, and the same rules apply to all businesses, big and small,” Richard Bean, acting chairman of the authority, said in a statement.

Advertisers have great hopes for cellphone marketing, including location-based services, but potential hostility from customers has held them back.

The Australian regulator said it saw a 370 per cent rise in reports from the public about SMS messages believed to be spam in 2010-11.