MMA Updates Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Best Practices

mmalogo.jpgThe Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) released the latest version of its U.S. Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services.

They say that their guidelines are the industry standard for
cross-carrier mobile content services such as text messaging (SMS),
multimedia messaging (MMS), shortcode programs, Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) and mobile Web.

In addition to incorporating carrier standards, the new guidelines include revisions and additions to key areas such as:

  • Standardizing the language "Msg & Data Rates May Apply"
  • Allowing for more flexibility with PIN location in message-terminated (MT) messages
  • Modifying the STOP requirement in Opt-in MT messages

The
guidelines also feature a new reference ID system designed to make it
fast and easy to navigate the document and find information. The
guidelines help standardize practices across the industry which
provides a better experience for customers by ensuring the consistency
of mobile marketing campaigns across the four major U.S. carriers.

The guidelines are available for download at www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf.

The new, version 4.0 guidelines
are the first to consolidate the individual mobile marketing guidelines
and codes of conduct - known as "carrier playbooks" - of the four
largest U.S. wireless service providers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T,
Sprint and T-Mobile USA..

Produced by
the MMA's CBP Committee, the guidelines provide measures of acceptable
and unacceptable practices for all players in the U.S. ecosystem. At
100 pages, the new CBP document is significantly more comprehensive
than the previous edition, yet it provides the industry with the first
concise, inclusive set of guidelines by eliminating the need to refer
to four separate carrier playbooks.