The GSM Association (GSMA) is piloting a solution to address mobile messaging misuse caused by spam, which is a growing issue for consumers and mobile operators. The GSMA Spam Reporting Service will provide a worldwide clearinghouse of messaging threats and misuse which have been reported by mobile users. The GSMA Spam Reporting Service is in trials with a number of mobile operators, including AT&T Mobility, Korea Telecom and SFR.
The GSMA Spam Reporting Service, which is operated on behalf of the GSMA by Cloudmark, will analyse SMS traffic and identify and aggregate reports of misuse submitted by mobile subscribers of participating networks via a shortcode. The shortcode 7726, which spells SPAM on  most phones, will be used where local national numbering plans permit, in conjunction with an additional code 33700, to encourage consumers to report instances of SMS spam. With this reporting mechanism, consumers will be able to direct alleged spam to a responsive feedback system, which will acknowledge the report and inform their service providers so that appropriate action can be taken. This action can include investigations, warnings, and blocking of senders who have been repeatedly reported by end users as sending unsolicited or fraudulent messages. 
The issue of mobile messaging misuse is a global, inter-operator problem, and the GSMA Spam Reporting Service, along with other spam mitigation solutions such as spam filtering, is an important component of a comprehensive spam mitigation strategy for the industry, says Alex Sinclair, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at the GSMA. We have learnt from the online experience where spam is prolific and this service will enable mobile operators, mobile users and legitimate mobile marketers to take action as we work together to help users and their service providers to tackle mobile spam.
Each mobile operator participating in the pilot will receive correlated reports, with data on threats and misuse originated both within and outside of their network. The reports will include data on misuse patterns, volumes and top originators of spam, regionally and worldwide. The GSMA says the service is designed to help protect the entire mobile ecosystem against sophisticated and evolving messaging threats and misuse that could negatively impact the user experience, as well as available network resources.