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Types of mobile services provided through third-party providers

Mobile services are a form of paid telecommunication services and are provided through five-digit short numbers starting with 72, for example, 72XXX. The short number series 71xxx and 72xxx have been developed by the operators themselves and are therefore not included in the Swedish numbering plan for telephony. The companies that operate the services are called service providers.

Page summary

Mobile payment services mean that you can purchase various services and pay via your mobile bill, for example through a five-digit number starting with 72. There are both one-time purchases, such as bus tickets or votes in TV programs, and subscription services, which provide updates or access to digital content. Subscriptions must always be ordered and confirmed by you, and you can cancel them whenever you want by sending an SMS with the text STOP to the correct number.

There are many different companies that provide services paid via the mobile bill and they are called service providers. Each service provider can offer several different services. Mobile services can either be charged as a one-time purchase or as a subscription service.

Examples of one-time purchases

In the case of one-time purchases, you are charged once for the specific product or service you bought, such as a bus ticket, crossword solutions, or casting a vote for a participant in a TV competition.

Examples of subscriptions

With subscription services, you start such a service yourself of some kind. It can be games, video clips, a monthly fee for an IT service, or informational messages about weather or traffic information, among others. A service cannot start without the mobile phone user actively ordering or confirming an order for the service. This can be done via SMS or via the web, but the mobile phone user must always actively start, and usually also confirm, the order.

The company sends an SMS message each time a charge is made for the service to the subscription that ordered the service. This can be one or several times a week depending on what kind of service it is.

You can cancel a subscription service at any time. The easiest way is to send an SMS message containing only the word STOP, or STOP, to the short number through which the service is operated. You should not reply directly to a possible SMS message you receive from the company but send a new SMS, write the word stop as the message, and enter the current short number as the phone number. Then the company operating the service should immediately terminate it and no further charges should occur unless the consumer reactivates the service. If the same short number is used to provide different services, you may need to write a specific code word after the word STOP to terminate only the current service.

Frequently asked questions

How can I find out which company has charged me for a premium rate service?
On the invoice from the operator, according to the rules decided by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), there should be contact information for the company responsible for a mediated service. Usually, there is a phone number for the company’s customer service on the invoice. If there is no phone number, you can contact...
To page "How can I find out which company has charged me for a premium rate service?"
Money is being deducted from my mobile bill by a company I don’t recognise – why?
Premium rate services are services billed via the phone bill from the operator but performed by another company. When the operator charges for a mediated service, the usual call or SMS cost goes to the operator, while the cost of the actual service goes to the company that provides the mediated service, the service provider....
To page "Money is being deducted from my mobile bill by a company I don’t recognise – why?"
Are minors allowed to use premium rate services or make other types of purchases via a mobile subscription?
The legal situation is not entirely clear when it comes to minors’ use of premium telecommunication services. It is the responsibility of the subscription holder to cover the costs incurred from telephony, including premium calls, in-app purchases, other premium telecommunication services, and international calls. If the subscription holder lends the phone to someone else, partner,...
To page "Are minors allowed to use premium rate services or make other types of purchases via a mobile subscription?"
What is a premium rate/third-party/other service on the invoice?
The bill may pertain to purchases made with the phone, such as chat and dating services, competitions, or various mobile services like ringtones. On the invoice, they are often referred to as mediated services with numbers that usually start with 0900-, 0939-, 0944-, 099- or five-digit short numbers, for example, 72 111. If your complaint...
To page "What is a premium rate/third-party/other service on the invoice?"
Is the provider allowed to charge an invoice fee?
If the operator charges an invoice fee, it must be stated in the agreement. The invoice fee should be stated in the agreement or the operator’s price list. Most operators offer alternatives to sending out paper bills such as e-invoice or direct debit. If you choose one of these options, you can often avoid paying...
To page "Is the provider allowed to charge an invoice fee?"
I haven’t received a bill – do I still have to pay?
It is important to know that you must pay regardless of whether you have received a bill or not. Therefore, contact the operator if you have not received a bill in accordance with the agreement. An operator has the right to charge you retroactively for up to three years. Therefore, it is very important that...
To page "I haven’t received a bill – do I still have to pay?"
My invoice from the provider says I’ve purchased third-party or other services from a company I’ve never heard of. What is this?
Premium rate services are services charged via the phone bill from the operator but performed by another company. When the operator charges for a mediated service, the usual call or SMS cost goes to the operator, while the cost of the actual service goes to the company providing the mediated service, the so-called service provider....
To page "My invoice from the provider says I’ve purchased third-party or other services from a company I’ve never heard of. What is this?"
I’ve been charged for calls to premium rate numbers I don’t recognise – what should I do?
It may be appropriate to first find out which company is behind the payment number on the invoice, as that knowledge can be useful when trying to figure out what has happened. The operator should provide contact details for the service/company that charged on the invoice. If you have been charged for premium calls that...
To page "I’ve been charged for calls to premium rate numbers I don’t recognise – what should I do?"
Can I get call itemisations retroactively?
The operator is not obliged to send out information about calls made further back in time than the most recent billing period free of charge. It is also not certain that this information is saved. If it exists, the operator may charge a fee to send the information to you. The operator determines the amount...
To page "Can I get call itemisations retroactively?"
I have a brand new mobile subscription and have been charged for services I haven’t ordered. Why?
Have you recently acquired a new mobile subscription, a mobile broadband subscription, or a prepaid card with a new mobile number, and have you in connection with this been charged for premium services that you are not aware you have ordered? Then it may be that a previous user of the mobile number has started a subscription service of some kind that has not been terminated before the mobile number changed owner. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that a mobile number is not left long enough “in quarantine” before it is reused, and then started subscription services do not get terminated....
To page "I have a brand new mobile subscription and have been charged for services I haven’t ordered. Why?"

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