CANNES, France – As government and parent groups become more aware of the potential problem of mobile porn and gambling, wireless companies are coming under heavy pressure to more strictly regulate their services. Several operators are already taking cautionary steps to restrict underage users from accessing adult content.”We’ve learned from fixed-line (Internet) that if you leave it too late the genie gets out of the bottle,” said Al Russell, head of content services for Vodafone UK.

Russell was a speaker at the annual 3GSM World Congress on the French Riviera, which goes on until Thursday. The hot topic at this year’s four-day mobile industry event was the arrival of 3G phones and the new services offering a large variety of multimedia content. Nearly twice as many exhibitors were present at this year’s show, including handset makers, software developers and content distributors.

In Britain, adult services are restricted on new handsets by the wireless networks, until proof is established that the user is at least 18 years of age. Industry initiatives are being discussed in France and the US, whereas Germany already has standard rules in place, and the Australian government is preparing to draft a bill to introduce in parliament.

The initial problem of labelling and filtering content on a global scale is rife with technical and cultural issues. Some countries are more less tolerant of sexually explicit images than others.

“In Spain there’s some pretty explicit content without any form of age verification,” said Tina Southall, head of content standards at Vodafone. “Given what’s happening in other markets I don’t think that’s a sustainable position.”

One of the exhibitors at the show, Andreas Adami of Italy’s Princess Productions explained to visitors the profitability of mobile videos, screensavers, and other content.

“We also have wallpapers and some spicy cartoons, even for younger people…. Bikini babes, lingerie, non-nude stuff,” Adami said, with a demo phone in his hand.

Adami stated there was no doubt 3G networks would prove profitable for the adult industry, especially as phones with streaming capability become more available.

“Last year mobile sales accounted for about 20 percent of our revenue,” he said. “This year it will probably be 60 percent.”

Mobile operators are in a tough squeeze. They don’t want to be seen as working hand in hand with the adult industry, but they also want to avoid being seen as the censors blocking their users from accessing the content they want.

The voluntary rules adopted in Britain seem to be the exception rather than the norm, as networks elsewhere in Europe are choosing not to restrict adult services, unless their users specifically request it.