A messaging control system is described that is arranged to control the transmission of mobile messages -such as SMS messages -originating from third party content providers to user mobile devices. The messaging control system comprises a database for storing user preference data, a user interface to receive preference data from a user and a rules engine. The rules engine is arranged to receive a transmission request originating from a third party content provider to transmit a mobile message to the mobile device of the user. The rules engine is further arranged to transmit a response to the transmission request based on the outcome of a rules processing step identifying how the mobile message is to be handled.
