26 November 2008
Mobile phone spam is on the increase across Europe, according to a new study by the mobile messaging infrastructure provider Airwide Solutions.
It found that in the last 12 months, the number of mobile users receiving spam-related text messages - some of which contain worms and viruses - has increased by 21.3%.
French consumers have seen the biggest increase in such messages - with mobile phone users in the country receiving 61.3% more spam compared to a year ago.
Airwide spokesman Jay Seaton said: "With significant increases in the use of mobiles phones both for personal and corporate use, mobile subscribers, parents and corporate organisations will need guarantees that their phones and data are secured."
The survey also revealed that despite using mobile phones to store photos, videos and music files, 50% of mobile phone users across Europe do not back up their data.
Meanwhile, Thomas Newton, a spokesperson for UK Web Media, has predicted that mobile banking will take off over the coming months. This could have further implications in terms of mobile phone security.