SMS spam on the verge of extinction

NEWS Companies operating in the European Union may have to obtain the consent of mobile phone users before sending commercial messages via SMS, following a landmark ruling in Brussels last week. At the moment, there are no restrictions on the use of SMS as a promotional tool, but European legislators are keen to bring the laws governing such messages in line with email. The European parliamentary committee's ruling - which will become law if it is approved by the European parliament in May and then ratified by member states - has angered the mobile phone companies, who believe they are being singled out by the legislation. They are currently the heaviest users of commercial SMS.