Even as the Australian Communications Authority moved to tighten regulations aimed at keeping kids from cell phone porn, one mobile carrier operating in Australia, Vodafone, plans to offer "access control" services in 2006, including some adult content.
The company is reportedly waiting to launch the adult content services until some way to police cell phone access is in place. The ACA this week banned X-rated or unrated material from access by those 18 and younger and began requiring identification to access material rated M15 and R18 .
A published report indicated Virgin Mobile had no immediate plans to offer content higher than M-rated but could make such plans in the future. The only adult content now offered by any Australian mobile service is Hutchison 3’s Playboy brand.
The two largest Australian mobile carriers, Telstra and Optus, weighed in as well. Telstra said it doesn't and won't offer adult content on its i-mode mobile Internet phones but could not control what unofficial i-mode sites offer. Optus said it doesn't "currently offer age-restricted content."
That doesn't mean the two giants haven't brushed with adult content before, of course. The damage phase in a lawsuit pitting Optus against Gibraltar-based adult entertainment company Gilsan over unpaid commissions from Optus dropped a bombshell in late June when it was revealed Telstra profited by housing porn in its data centers and taking a piece of per-minute call charges, just as Optus had in a similar deal.
