UK mobile phone O2 Call Alert service betraying withheld Call ID ?
We are getting reports that the UK Mobile phone network O2 has launched a flawed new service called O2 Call Alert which sends you an SMS message telling you which number has tried to call you when your phone has been switched off or is out of signal range.
In theory
"If you miss a call, callers will hear a message telling them that their number will be sent to you via text message to let you know they called. If callers withhold their number you won't be sent a text and they'll be told to call again later"
Except, of course, that currently, a text message is sent, regardless of whether or not the phone calling you is set to withhold its Caller ID.
Seeemingly this errant behavior applies to witheld numbers from UK landlines as well as other UK mobile networks.
Does this privacy destroying "feature" also apply to unwanted SMS text message spam ? N.B. a lot of such SMS spam is sent from overseas networks, which means that there is usually no Caller ID.
Are landline or other mobile callers to O2 mobile phones being charged for these missed call text alerts, even when they should not be ?
"Callers to an O2CallAlert user will be charged as per their standard tariff rate for a mobile terminated call, unless their number is withheld (when they will not be charged for the call)."