BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Shanghai Mobile has blocked several phone numbers from being used to make outgoing calls after hundreds of the company's mobile phone subscribers complained of receiving unsolicited calls over a 12-hour period beginning on Friday.

    Company officials said an investigation shows the calls were dialed by a computer and a simulated dialing processor.

    The system is able to call a new phone number every 10 seconds and then hangs up before anyone answers. Mobile users who call back are connected to a voice message box with a recording of a woman's voice. The woman provides various phone numbers for people looking for a travel escort or a paid phone chat line, the company said.

   Shanghai Mobile barred 60 mobile subscribers from calling out in September alone after they were detected making spam phone calls, said Zhang Chunmin, a company official.

    During the 12 hours between Friday evening and early Saturday morning, up to 900 mobile users were called by one number and the company has already banned it from dialing out.

    Zhang Lan said she received one of the calls late on Friday evening. "I heard a recorded voice when I called back. A woman introduced herself as A Mei and said I could dial two other numbers if I want to chat or if I was looking for a sightseeing companion."

    Company officials said the high-frequency calls have greatly impaired operation of their service network as well as resulting in losses to the users disturbed.

    Those who made the spam calls have violated the rights of normal mobile users, said Wang Zhan, a local lawyer.

(Shanghai Daily)