At the end of 2013, it was estimated that Brazil had:
- 114 million unique subscribers, accounting for over a third of Latin America’s total.
- 274 million mobile connections, with a market penetration of 136 per cent.
- 111 million mobile broadband connections, making it the primary means of internet access.
As the number of users continues to grow at a rapid pace, Brazil’s leading mobile operators want to ensure that every customer can enjoy mobile’s transformational benefits in a protected and trusted environment.
Therefore, Algar Telecom, Claro, Nextel, Oi, Sercomtel, TIM Brasil and Vivo are taking active steps to provide users with safer, more secure and convenient mobile experiences by Controlling SMS spam, Reducing handset theft and Promoting children’s rights.
With approximately 268 million active mobile devices in Brazil, helping to control SMS spam is crucial for mobile operators in maintaining a trusted relationship with users.
To protect customers from unsolicited messages and identify spammers in Brazil, operators have launched the GSMA’s Spam Reporting Service where users can forward texts to SPAM (7726). The messages are then aggregated, analysed and incorporated into spam ‘fingerprints’ by the system. These fingerprints give operators important details about origination, size, intent and growth pattern of the spam messages. The service allows mobile operators to isolate attacks on their network and help prevent the attack spreading to another network, thus curbing the spread of spam in Brazil.
Brazil has the second highest rate of handset theft in the world after India, with more than one million devices stolen each year.
These alarming statistics have prompted Brazilian mobile operators to extend their current national collaboration and work with their international counterparts to further reduce opportunities to illegally export and reconnect stolen devices around the world. This will be achieved by sharing the device’s unique identification code on the GSMA’s IMEI centralised database and blocking its future use. This wider international partnership will help reduce the rate of theft and control illegal trafficking, as stolen mobile phones will be rendered useless.
The Brazilian mobile operators are proud to support the work of:
- SaferNet Brazil – a national organisation founded specifically to protect children online and to further promote human rights on the internet. Between 2006 and 2013, SaferNet Brazil handled almost 3.4 million reports.
- Disque 100 (“Dial 100”) – a Freephone helpline operating under the auspices of the national Department for Human Rights. In 2012, Disque 100 recorded a 58 per cent increase in calls relating to children and adolescents.
To help raise awareness of the option for children to access the free support and services of both organisations via mobile, Brazilian mobile operators will:
- Send a standard SMS to every customer informing them of the SaferNet Brazil and Disque 100 services.
- Include SaferNet’s logo and hyperlink on each mobile operator’s website.