Lithuania:The second stage of direct public euro communication via SMS campaign started

Bank of Lithuania’s SMS to reach nearly 3 million mobile phone subscribers

The implementation of the second stage of direct public euro communication via SMS campaign started this week. During this stage, the information sent by the Bank of Lithuania on the euro, to be adopted on 1 January, will reach by the New Year nearly 3 million clients of the largest mobile operators.

The Bank of Lithuania, signed in the spring an agreement with the major mobile operators in the country — BITĖ Lietuva, Omnitel and Tele2 — on socially responsible cooperation in gratuitously informing the public on the euro.

Based on this agreement, the first SMS on the irrevocably fixed litas and euro exchange rate was sent to mobile communication users on behalf of the Bank of Lithuania immediately after the Council of the European Union made the decision on Lithuania’s accession to the euro area in the second half of the summer this year.

In the SMS currently being sent out, the Bank of Lithuania reminds that litas will only be exchanged into euro free of charge at banks (for 6 months, at some of them for 12 months), branches of Lietuvos paštas and some credit unions (for 2 months), also at the Bank of Lithuania (for unlimited time).

Settlement for goods and services in litas will only be allowed until 15 January 2015 inclusive.

The SMS will also indicate where information can be found if any additional euro-related questions would arise.

As of spring, a toll free euro phone line has been open in Lithuania — 8 800 34528. Detailed information is also available on the euro website (www.euras.lt).

According to the operators’ data, a total of 2,957,000 SMSs were sent at the end of July and beginning of August. Just as many SMSs will be sent in December.

Seeking to avoid inconvenience for users, BITĖ Lietuva, Omnitel and Tele2 will send the SMS only on business days (from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm), as they did the first time. In addition, mobile operators will only send messages to those subscribers who have not expressed a desire to not receive messages from third-parties.

Source: The Bank of Lithuania