Smart Telecom has implemented a new policy on blocking outbound connections to SMTP mail servers. This policy affects all customers and means that smart users will no longer be able to send mail via private mail servers. Smart telecom insist that the use of the in-house SMTP server is available to all customers.
A representative from smart telecom commented on the matter:
“this change has affected less than 1% of our customers. We provide our SMTP server details to every customer that signs up and 99%+ use the details provided”
This is an estimated 200+ customers affected by the new policy.
“As our DSL user network has grown we’ve been receiving an increasing number of complaints about SPAM coming from DSL user machines.
This SPAM wastes peoples time and network/computer resources. It also leads to problems for all DSL users because it increases the chances of valid emails being rejected as more of our IPs appear in email blacklists.
So, for the above reasons amongst others, we have decided to start blocking outbound SMTP(TCP port 25) traffic from DSL users with dynamic IPs. Customers with static IPs will have the option of requesting the opening of outbound SMTP for their static IPs.”
There has been some uproar on public forums regarding the way smart telecom handled the matter, lack of notification to any of the affected customers has caused some concern. On the upside this policy change did not affect business customers with static IP addresses in place.
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[...] According to a post on Jason’s blog (welcome to the blogosphere by the way!) Irish ISP Smart Telecom have decided to block port 25. [...]
[...] Ever since Smart when boombastic on their customers on the phone/broadband front I have been with Magnet Entertainment. Honestly, the only reasons I signed up with Magnet was because they provided 4mbs Broadband, at good price and would have me moved from smart within two weeks. [...]