3G broadband advert ban leads to call for clearer guidelines

It was recently reported that the Advertising Standards Agency had banned an advert by mobile network giant Orange in relation to its 3G mobile broadband service, and this has now led to calls for clearer guidelines from the ASA.

It was recently reported that the mobile provider Orange had been pulled up by the Advertising Standards Agency over one of its advertisements, which claimed that its 3G mobile broadband network was better than that of its rivals. The investigation into the advertisement by the ASA came after the claim was challenged by a rival mobile network provider, Three.

Following the incident mobile network bosses have called upon the ASA and Ofcom to provide clearer guidelines with regards to mobile companies measuring their network performance so that consumers have a more transparent and clearer way to judge the products and services that are available from any particular mobile network provider.

In the advertisement Orange had claimed that it had the largest mobile 3G network based on population coverage. However, in its complaint about the advertisement the rival provider, Three, claimed that it had the largest 3G mobile broadband network, and described the advertisements from Orange as ‘unsubstantiated and misleading’.

Following the slap on the wrist from Orange the mobile network provider admitted that based on geographical area Three did indeed have the larger 3G network. However, officials from Orange claimed that the claims in its advertisements had been based on population coverage, and insisted that it did have the largest 3G network based on this.

Source – Top News