UK's Telecom regulator, Ofcom and the watchdog that polices marketing calls, Telephone Preference Service (TPS) have launched a new 'text-to-register' service, enabling mobile phone users to add their number to the UK's official ‘do not call’ database. Users just have to text ‘TPS’ and their email address to shortcode 78070.
It is illegal for organizations to make unsolicited sales and marketing calls to numbers registered with the TPS, unless they have a person’s consent to do so, according to a statement by Ofcom. By introducing the quick and easy text-to-register process, both organizations aim to raise awareness of such messages among mobile users and drive registrations.
According to a research by Ofcom, only half (48%) of people familiar with the TPS are aware that mobile numbers can be registered, compared to almost nine in 10 (88%) for landline phone numbers. This helps explain why only 2.9 million mobile numbers (around 3%) are registered on the TPS database, compared with 18.5 million landline numbers (around 85%).
John Mitchison, Head of the Telephone Preference Service
Texting will make it easier for people to register their mobile numbers on the TPS, which is the only official no-call list, and help us stamp out rogue callers once and for all by giving the Information Commissioner more ammunition to prosecute these cases.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom Consumer Group Director
Many millions of landline customers already take advantage of the protection the TPS gives against nuisance calls, and we want to ensure it’s as easy as possible for mobile users to do the same.