Sensis, Telstra's media arm, began a trial this week for customers to download coupons on their phones that are instantly redeemable at food chains KFC and Pizza Hut, The Australian reported Thursday. Mobile advertising is expected to reach $200 million in three years.

Many child advocacy groups are calling for more debate before children, many of whom are given mobiles, face with an onslaught of mobile ads.

“Telcos often don't know which customers are children,” Jane Roberts, president of the child protection group Young Media Australia, told The Australian. “It should be a joint responsibility between business and government and parents to have a public debate about this before the horse bolts.”

Vodafone's charter deals with self-regulator issues as well as technical display advertising standards, capping the number of times a marketer can initiate contact with a customer to once every 28 days, with exceptions, such as sponsored news alerts. The charger would also limit the ways alcohol and pharmaceutical advertisers are allowed to appear on mobiles when they sponsor news alerts.

“Vodafone is not only (running) banner ads, we've also got microsites active, we've got brands acquiring customer databases to do ongoing one-to-one campaigns,” David Green, Vodafone's general manager of mobile advertising told The Australian. “We've got to have rules around that.”