March 22 2004

Leading Australian mobile infrastructure provider SOPRANO Design launched has “SOPRANO MobileNanny to assist Mobile Network Operators (MNO) in filtering and labelling content for selection by their customers.

“SOPRANO MobileNanny enables MNOs to provide fine-grained opt-in access control services to their customers, supporting a range of applications including restricting access to certain content categories (e.g. adult, violence, gambling), blocking SPAM, and blocking access to un-moderated mobile chat services” said Dr Richard Favero, CEO at SOPRANO.

As mobile data technology advances and new markets develop, an increasing variety of mobile content and applications is becoming available. Internet and voice telephony customers have long been able to block access to certain content, to protect themselves and their families. It is now becoming increasingly incumbent on MNOs to provide their customers with a similar capability to control their access to particular content and applications as mobile handsets cannot be modified to provide this protection.

A key benefit of the SOPRANO MobileNanny™ platform is that subscribers can utilise the service to limit the exposure of themselves, their children or their employees to material which they may consider inappropriate, offensive or harmful. SOPRANO MobileNanny™ also enables them to limit access to high-cost premium phone services, and provides a convenient way to block mobile-based SPAM.

SOPRANO MobileNanny™ access control capabilities cover all major content types, in both “push” and “pull” directions – SMS, Premium SMS, MMS, WAP, Java / Brew downloads, video and HTTP. “A key feature of the platform is self-management,” said Tim Batten, SOPRANO’s VP Global Products. “The platform enables content to be classified and rated by the content providers themselves, the MNO or third parties. Customers can then manage their access profile with a simple Internet Interface”. The entire SOPRANO MobileNanny™ service can be also re-branded by a third party.

According to Denis Nelthorpe, a leading Victorian consumer advocate, “Now that we have a much more mature industry, customer protection is almost as important as market share to MNOs. Industry should look to provide consumer protection solutions, as industry has most knowledge and capacity to deal with these problems. The way forward is the provision of better customer service and protection, including the use of technology to assist young consumers, and an ongoing industry commitment to the development of ethical standards”.

“MNOs can utilise SOPRANO MobileNanny™ as a market differentiator”, Favero pointed out. “The service can generate extra revenue, but more importantly, by implementing SOPRANO MobileNanny™, Mobile Network Operators can demonstrate their social responsibility to their customers (consumer and corporate), their shareholders, their community and their regulators

     Legal Issues in Mobile     

2004
SMS Mobile spam draws US FCC regulator wrath
Verizon Wireless sues SMS spammer
EU Commission challenges UK international roaming rates
BT and TMobile UK argue over mobile termination rates
Russian mobile revenues to exceed USD 9 billion in 2004
Ofcom to strengthen premium rate services protection
New UK Regulations for opting out of PSMS
Consumer group formulates cell phone in-flight policy
Malaysian couple misread text competition details
Legal Q&As - working time and 3G harassment
Switzerland to insist on Prepaid registration
Malaysian couple misread text competition details
Consumer group formulates cell phone in-flight policy
GSM Wireless Nanny Blocker Launched
UK Mobile Operators Block Online Porn
Finland's cellphone service watchdog shuts down SMSs from 'God'
Brazilian Government Faces Legal Action Over Regulator Sacking

2003
Now you can dump your wife by SMS
EU presses for mobile spam and privacy laws
Mobile Phone whilst driving ban commences in the UK
"No cell phones" sticker now trademarked
Warning That Bluetooth Class I devices pose hacking & security risk
Anti-spam laws now in force in the UK ban unsolicited SMS
South Korea Clamps Down on SMS Spam
Tackling worldwide trade in stolen mobiles
New GSM Jammer Looks Like a GSM Cellphone
Sangyo 360 degree surveilance camera working with 3G phones
Bizarre Jamming Of Moldova GSM Network
Camera phones a threat to industrial secrets
US tower firm fined over safety violations
Mobile Phone whilst driving ban commences in the UK
Lawsuit over GSM network seizure in Cote d'Ivoire
African GSM Operators Create Mobile Phone EIR Blacklist
Woman suffers facial burns from cell phone
Nigerian Regulator  Sets Up Arbitration Panels Over GSM Complaints
Calif. bans mobile phone spam
Security Concerns Still Slowing Mobile App Deployment
DoCoMo Mova F505i wth fingerprint authentication technology
GSM Association sets its sights on spamming globally
Vodafone to clamp down on SMS Spam
GSM Jammer Security Device saved Pakistan's president
Worlds First Mobile Spyphone Launched
EU moves against illegal and harmful content online
Korean Government Admits Developing Anti-Tapping
South Korea to introduce tougher Location laws