Featuring one of the best headlines I’ve seen in a long time – “Is that your cellphone in your pocket…?”, the National Post had a story a couple days ago about wireless carrier Telus quietly offering downloads of pornographic photos and videos for about $3 or $4 a shot You’ve got to love the explanation from Telus spokesman Jim Johannson, who said since porn is already widely available on mobile browsers, the carrier has “introduced — in a very responsible way — adult content that’s in behind proper age verification and that’s compliant with provincial standards and regulations.”
Ha! I guess that makes it alright. What Johannson should have said is: “Like any ARPU-hungry carrier, we’re looking for new ways to enhance wireless data revenue. Clearly, porn is a lucrative online business so it’s a no-brainer to serve consumers who want a mobile fix”. According to the Post, the North American mobile phone users spent $400-million on adult photos and video last year. No one should overlook the fact the porn industry is always on the bleeding edge of technology – be it VCRs, e-commerce, streaming video, DVDs and, now, wireless.
Technorati Tags: Pornography, Telus
5 Comments
In her article, Siri didn’t use the quote that I thought fits the headline: “It will probably make people think twice about asking you to turn your phone to silent mode”
Very few companies these days operate ethically. If it makes them a buck, they will try to rationalize it by saying they are just catering to the demands of the consumer. Especially Telus… they don’t care. I can tell you they don’t care because if they really wanted to care about what they were doing, they wouldn’t keep you on the phone for a half hour just to service a number change or ask about a charge on your bill.
Porn makes money and Telus wants money. Marrying the two is common sense. As long as the dollars roll in and people get wealthy, companies don’t feel they need to really listen. Personally I think Telus should be dismantled because in some parts of Canada it holds nearly a monopoly (in Kamloops for instance…. until only recently when shaw moved in with their phone service) and they have gotten a reputation as a “I don’t really care” attitude.
Offering porn on mobile devices though doesn’t really surprise me and especially if Telus is leading the way.
Actually, the best headline would have been “Is that a cell phone in your pocket…or are you just happy to see me?”…:)
Hello Mark,
Great site. I’m looking for your permission to link to this article from my site http://www.nocellporn.ca. Thanks in advance.
Also, please provide your opinion on the newly (read empty) site if you wish.
Thank you for your time and kind regards,
lgd
Sure, feel feel to link to the article from your site (if you want to run an excerpt, that’s okay as well).
Not much to say about the site until you get some content but the structure looks good.
Mark
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[...] Original post by Mark Evans -A Canadian Take on Tech and software by Elliott Back [...]
[...] Source via Mark Evans. Tagged as: Telus, pornography, porn, mobile porn, adult, adult content Email this post [...]
[...] Telus’ ambitious foray into the world of pornography has come to a premature end (terrible puns, I know!) The Vancouver-based wireless carrier had quietly launched a service where customers could download pornographic photographs to their phones for $3, and video porn for $4. To say the least, it was a controversial initiative despite the fact online porn is huge and lucrative business. I guess Telus was thinking porn was a high-margin way to boost ARPU – and in the wireless business, it’s all about ARPU. Telus, however, discovered while, in theory, porn downloads make for good business, it’s a long way from being accepted by consumers. After several hundred complaints, Telus has decided to stop the service. The questions that must be asked is: what was Telus thinking? Is ARPU that important that they were willing to embrace porn? [...]