Downloads such as mobile phone ringtones continue to be part of Phonepayplus remit

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Icstis becomes Phonepayplus

Premium-rate services regulator rebrands to reflect new responsibilities

Dinah Greek, Computeract!ve 15 Oct 2007

Premium-rate phone services regulator Icstis has changed its name to Phonepayplus.

The rebrand is designed to make it more visible and relevant to consumers as the organisation battles to rebuild consumer confidence after this year's revelations of high-profile premium rate rip-offs.

TV programmes as diverse as Blue Peter, The X Factor and ITV's Dancing On Ice final were found to have taken consumers for a ride. A study for the regulator highlights the distrust the public now holds the industry in.

Almost two-thirds of the UK population surveyed said they are now distinctly distrustful of phone-in competitions, while 60 per cent said they had little faith in chat and entertainment services.

The research also showed that three-quarters of those polled would not consider using a phone-paid service in the next 12 months.

"Our remit has changed and the Icstis name didn't really reflect what we now do. As well as premium-rate services we will also now have responsibility for all phone-paid services. As Phonepayplus we will be more consumer focused so we want people to know who we are and what we do," a spokesman for the regulator said.

Phone-paid services cover the goods and services that can be bought by charging the cost to phone bills and mobile pre-pay accounts. This includes helplines, voting, competitions and downloads.

Although last month the regulator fined premium-rate service provider Opera £250,000 for misconduct in its phone competitions for GMTV, it said it knew more needed to be done to rebuild the public's trust.

Phonepayplus said while the vast majority of services are run responsibly and enjoyed by thousands of people, as part of the rebrand it has set up a Compliance Team. This will advise companies who provide premium-rate services to ensure that they comply with the Phonepayplus Code of Practice.

A new SMS text service will soon to allow the public to report problems at their convenience.

"The public will be able to forward reverse SMS messages to us as proof of non compliance by a company," a Phonepayplus representative said.

The regulator has also revamped its interactive website, Phonebrain, aimed at educating youngsters about premium rate and phone services.

However, PhonepayPlus warned it could not rebuild the tarnished image of the industry alone. It said regulators and business must work together if a successful environment for consumers and industry alike is to be built.

Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of Phonepayplus, said: "After the headlines of recent months, there is no doubt that the public's trust in phone-paid services has been dented. While we don't underestimate the size of the task ahead, we are confident that confidence in phone-paid services can be restored.

"As well as knowing that there is an organisation out there making sure services are being operated fairly, consumers need to know where to go if they need advice or have a specific problem."

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