Spam: The Next GenerationSpam: The Next Generation

Text-based ads, which have already made a splash on Japanese and European cell phones, will make their way to mobile devices here, said panelists at the Federal Trade Commission's Spam Forum event in Washington. That means spam won't be far behind--and because end users pay for all text messages, spam on mobile phones and other wireless devices would be more than just a nuisance, experts said.

A manager at Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo said his company has already seen substantial numbers of unwanted text-based advertisements sent to its subscribers. Even with filtering programs in place and tough anti-spam laws, NTT DoCoMo subscribers still receive about 30 wireless spam messages a day, according to Reuters.

Industry experts noted that U.S. carriers already have in place filters that block some mass-sent ads. But with text messaging taking off, it's inevitable, panelists said, that some unscrupulous marketers will try to spam cell phones with the technology.

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association cited more than 1 billion messages sent to its members' subscribers in December 2002.