Updated: 4INFO Blocked From Sending Alerts To Verizon Customers Due To Dispute

4INFO Celebrity Alert

4INFO said it can no longer send some ad-supported mobile alerts to Verizon Wireless subscribers “because of a dispute.” The announcement was sent out via the company’s Twitter feed at @4INFO, and also confirmed on its website.

UPDATE: 4INFO’s CEO Zaw Thet said in an interview with mocoNews that their messages have been being blocked by the carrier, and that Verizon sent a text message to all users today, saying they will no longer receive messages from 4INFO at 44636. While the dispute only affects one of 4INFO’s short codes, it cuts off content from brands like the NBA and USA Today. “This was not about the content, or any user complaints, or any lawsuits,” he said. “The primary conversation is about what kind of ad formats are acceptable in SMS content.” Verizon Wireless did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

If the story is indeed this straight-forward and Verizon is turning off 4INFO’s ad-supported content, potentially it means that the carrier wants a cut of the advertising revenues. To be sure, carriers need need to find new sources of revenues to pay for high-speed next-generation networks, and yet, competition is prohibiting them from raising rates to the end-user.

While the dispute continues, 4INFO said it is working on a solution to get services up and running again for Verizon subscribers. Thet said the problem is not directly related to Verizon’s announcement last year that it planned to charge three cents to deliver an SMS on its network. Verizon held off on its decision after companies, like 4INFO, voiced their opposition. At the time, 4INFO’s COE Zaw Thet, told mocoNews:

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