Do-not-call Register for Short Messages Commences to Accept Registration on 8 January 2008

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) announced today ( 7 January 2008) that the do-not-call register for short messages would be launched on 8 January 2008.

This is the second do-not-call register since the full commencement of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEMO) on 22 December 2007. The first do-not-call register is for fax.

"The public can register their telephone numbers onto the do-not-call register for short messages to decline unsolicited commercial short messages. The do-not-call register for short messages covers short message service (SMS) messages and multimedia message service (MMS) messages sent over the mobile network as well as short messages sent over the fixed network. Registration can be done by calling the registration hotline 1835001 using the phone of the number they intend to register," a spokesperson of OFTA said.

"There is no deadline for registration. The public can register their numbers onto the do-not-call register for short messages on any day at any time (except 23:00-24:00 each day when the database undergoes updating) on or after 8 January 2008," the spokesperson elaborated.

For numbers registered onto the do-not-call register for short messages before 24 January 2008, the protection under the UEMO will commence on 5 February 2008. For numbers registered on or after 25 January 2008, the protection will start on the tenth working day after the registration date. The public may check the registration date of their numbers at http://www.dnc.gov.hk. From 25 January 2008 onwards, the registration date of numbers listed on the do-not-call register for short messages can also be checked by calling the registration hotline 1835001.

"The first do-not-call register is for fax messages and was launched on 22 December 2007. Up to 6 January 2008, a total of 19,013 numbers have been registered onto the do-not-call register for fax. There is no deadline for registration and the public can continue to register their numbers onto the do-not-call register for fax by calling the hotline 1835002. Protection for the numbers already registered and any numbers to be registered before 23:00 today will commence on 18 January 2008. For numbers registered onto the do-not-call register for fax on or after 8 January 2008, the protection will start on the tenth working day after the registration date," the spokesperson continued.

"The registration hotline of the do-not-call register for short messages and that for fax are different. The hotline number for short messages is 1835001 and that for fax is 1835002," the spokesperson further explained.

The next and also the last do-not-call register is for pre-recorded telephone messages and will commence to accept registration from prefix-2 and -3 fixed line numbers starting from 25 January 2008. The register will commence to accept registration from prefix-6 and -9 mobile numbers starting from 12 February 2008 and 4 March 2008 respectively.

For more information about the three do-not-call registers and the UEMO, please visit OFTA's website at http://www.ofta.gov.hk/en/uem/main.html.

Background

The UEMO has fully commenced on 22 December 2007. Senders of commercial electronic messages are now required: (i) to provide accurate sender information and unsubscribe facility in a message; (ii) to honour the recipients' unsubscribe requests; (iii) not to send messages to any telephone or fax numbers listed on a do-not-call register unless consent has been obtained from the recipient; (iv) not to withhold calling line identification information when sending pre-recorded telephone calls and fax messages; and (v) not to use misleading subject heading when sending email messages.

The Telecommunications Authority (TA) will issue enforcement notices to those senders who have contravened the above rules. Failure to comply with enforcement notices may be subject to a fine of $100,000 on first conviction, and up to $500,000 on second and subsequent conviction.

Office of the Telecommunications Authority
07 January 2008