SHANGHAI — Mobile porn in China is on the rise thanks to low-cost entry into the adult business.
According to a Penn-Olson report, even though porn is illegal in China, would-be adult mobile companies can get server hosting packages set up for as little as $78 per year.
The boom is keeping Chinese authorities hopping as they try to stem the spread of the illegal WAP adult sites to primary school children with mobile devices.
A major concern is that mobile spam SMS could lure under age cell phone users into subscribing to porn.
“Mobile websites are less strictly regulated than conventional sites, and the growing number of dubious companies offering cheap hosting and ready-made WAP site templates makes it easier for fly-by-night ‘yellow’ sites to flourish,” the report said.
An investigation found that a mobile porn business could be set up for as little as $31. The deals are reportedly being advertised heavily by hosting companies hiding behind disposable Chinese social networking “QQ” websites.
Because the sites come and go quickly, authorities are finding it difficult to patrol and shut them down.
The task is even more difficult according to the report, considering that China currently has half a billion wired citizens, and 900 million mobile users.