Chinese mobile operators are taking new measures to limit the annoying group sending of wireless text messages during the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays.

This is the first time that the mobile operators in China has imposed limits on short message sending during the holidays. Based on the figures of short message sending during the holidays of 2006 in which some statistics placed the number at close to a billion, Guangdong Unicom predicts that the short message sending of the upcoming holidays of 2007 will be 1.5-2 times higher. Guangdong Unicom says it will limit the group sending of short messages during the holidays in order to alleviate the traffic flow.

Jilin Mobile also plans to shut down the SMS function of users who send more than 200 unwanted messages or 500 holiday-related messages per hour. Although Guangdong Mobile has not disclosed the number of short messages it will limit, a representative from the company says that they will take some measures to channel off the traffic flow during peak hours.