The government has lifted its restriction on bulk SMSes and MMSes with immediate effect. It's notable that the ban has been revoked a day before the stipulated 15-day deadline of August 31. The move is a huge respite for millions of pre-paid mobile users, who were restricted from sending more than 20 SMSes a day in the wake of the NE situation.

"After reviewing the matter again on Thursday, the ministry lifted the restriction allowing citizens to use text messages and MMSes without any limit of numbers with immediate effect," said a home ministry official is quoted as saying.

The government had restricted the number of SMSes and MMSes to 5 per day on August 17 to prevent circulation of rumours and hate content that led to the exodus of north east Indians from various parts of the country. The government later eased the restriction by increasing the cap to 20 SMSes per day. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter came under the government scanner as well.

The move to ban bulk SMSes, however, met severe criticism, as it affected only pre-paid users, who constitute more than 90 percent of mobile phone users in the country. Moreover, the telecom operators feared the SMS ban could cause loss up to 7-8 percent in revenue this month. On the other hand, the free instant messaging apps such as Nimbuzz and WhatsApp reported a significant surge in usages during the ban period.

The government is reportedly working on an area-specific message monitoring system, which will help the authorities to impose such restriction in the area affected instead of a nationwide ban in near future. To know more, read our previous coverage.

What do you think about the government's decision to revoke the ban on the bulk SMSes? Let us know  in the comments section below:

Source: Times of India