The National Communications Authority (NCA) has initiated a public consultation regarding its Draft Guidelines for the Management of Network Promotional Messages. These guidelines are designed to protect consumers from the influx of unsolicited promotional content sent by telecom companies and their affiliates.
In recent times, many consumers have voiced their dissatisfaction not only with unwanted paid subscriptions but also with the overwhelming number of promotional messages filling their inboxes.
The NCA’s proposed guidelines aim to set clear industry standards for the distribution of these messages, ensuring that they are sent in a transparent, ethical, and legally compliant manner.
“Additionally, the guidelines aim to protect consumer rights by providing clear opt-in and opt-out mechanisms, regulate the frequency and timing of promotional messages and harmonise sender identification names and short codes for better consumer recognition,” a statement said.
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Some of the key objectives outlined in Section 3 of the draft guidelines include:
- Controlling the rise in the number of promotional messages sent to consumers.
- Protecting the rights and interests of consumers.
- Decreasing the frequency of promotional messages.
- Managing the repeated sending of identical promotional content within a short period.
- Ensuring that service providers standardize sender names and shortcodes.
- Providing consumers with the choice to voluntarily opt-in or opt-out of receiving these messages.
The NCA has emphasized the importance of public input in this regulatory process. The consultation period, which began on August 2, 2024, will continue until September 19, 2024.
