Three UK will begin blocking mobile ads in June

Do you hate ads on your smartphone? Three UK is doing something about it. The carrier has announced that they will begin a trial for blocking ads on mobile in June. The trial will only last 24 hours, but it could indicate something more permanent. Users will be able to sign up and participate in the trial.

Tom Malleschitz, Three’s chief marketing officer, says “The current ad model is broken. It frustrates customers, eats up their data allowance and can jeopardise their privacy. Something needs to change.” Three has three (ha) reasons for why they think mobile ads should be blocked or fixed:

• Customers shouldn’t have to pay for the data required to load ads on the web
• Subscribers should be protected from advertisers who use mobile ads to track people without their knowledge
• Advertising should be more relevant and targeted

Ad-blocking is one of those things that users love, but companies hate. It will be interesting to see how Three’s trial goes. We don’t hold out a lot of hope that any carrier in the US would try such a thing. How do you feel about mobile ads?

[Three via Engadget]