MARKHAM — Independent telecom services provider Iristel announced today a new service designed to help customers eliminate unwanted telemarketer and spam phone calls.
“We are dedicated to rooting out abuse on our telecom networks and taking corrective action, where possible, and lead the industry with innovative solutions for protecting Canadians,” said Samer Bishay, Iristel president and CEO, in the news release. “We are the first telco in Canada to specifically block an abuser from contacting a user when the abuser is using a service provided by Iristel.”
Iristel says its anti-spam service has been in the planning and testing stages for more than six months. The company has launched a website at www.iristel.com/antispam, where consumers can report unwanted calls by filling out an online form to report numbers they believe are provided by Iristel. The company says it will then investigate, take action if appropriate and report back on the action that has been taken.
Iristel currently provides more than seven million phone numbers to thousands of telecom and technology companies around the world. Many Iristel customers then resell numbers to other service providers, who may have clients using these numbers to generate spam calls, Iristel says on its website.
“It is likely that many Canadians are serviced every day by a number that is provided by Iristel, either through an app or a traditional phone number,” reads the news release.
Only numbers registered to Iristel can be blocked by the company, it notes.
“Our anti-spam service is another tool in stamping out annoying calls,” says Bishay. “Will it end the problem? Likely not, but it’s the latest example of Iristel’s 20-plus years of experience in offering Canadians innovative, useful services at affordable prices.”
