Spam is reaching the mobile phones

After viruses, a new problem is emerging for the mobile phones: spam.

According to mobile firm Wireless Services Corporation, the increased amount of unsolicited SMS messages is attributed to the growing sophistication of spammers, who are venturing beyond the world of e-mail.

Wireless Services attributes the surge to smarter and more sophisticated spammers who are moving beyond the traditional venue of e-mail.

"While they initially sent messages to mobile phones via the Internet, they are now savvy enough about wireless networks to foil anti-spam technologies developed with e-mail in mind," said Rich Begert, the chief executive of Wireless Services, in a statement.

The economics of cell phones -- and thus the spam they receive -- is quite different from e-mail, Begert noted.

According to The Register, most complaints about mobile spam are directed toward the mobile operators. But many consumers resent mobile marketing messages from operators, which they see as part of the problem of mobile spam rather than the solution. Mobile spam generally has a negative impact on the brand of the mobile network operator.

For Internet users, there are tools available to enable them at least block out e-mails from known spammers. No such facility for handphone users. Although they know where those unsolicited messages come from, they can't do anything about it.

One may argue that the number of cell phone operators as "potential phone spammers" are far less than that of e-mail users - each of whom are potential e-mail spammers.

But as far as principles are concerned, it does not matter if the number is three or three zillion. A spam is a spam in whatever form and whoever it is from.