Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA) has initiated a one-month public consultation process to address consumer concerns about unwanted promotional messages.
The proposed Draft Guidelines for the Management of Network Promotional Messages aim to establish clear industry standards to ensure that these messages are distributed transparently, ethically, and in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Many Ghana subscribers have expressed dissatisfaction with the influx of unwanted paid subscriptions and promotional texts from telcos cluttering their inboxes.
According to an NCA statement, the growing unhappiness emphasises the importance of establishing clear and effective procedures for managing the distribution of such messages.
"The guidelines aim to protect consumer rights by providing clear opt-in and opt-out mechanisms, regulate the frequency and timing of promotional messages, and harmonise sender identification names and short codes for better consumer recognition," said the NCA statement.
Through the Guidelines on the Management of Network Promotional Messages, the NCA seeks to create uniform standards and requirements for transmitting network promotional messages. This includes alerts about new offers, promotions, bundles, or fees related to the use of a service.
"All stakeholders, including Service Providers, Consumer Advocacy Groups, and the General Public, are encouraged to review the draft guidelines and provide feedback," said the NCA.
Section 3 of the draft guidelines outlines several critical objectives to improve the management of network promotional messages, including the choice to voluntarily opt-in or out of receiving them.
Other key goals of the section are to decrease the frequency of promotional messages, manage the repeated sending of identical promotional content within a short period, and ensure that service providers standardize sender names and short codes.
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