Centre issues guidelines for cellphone users

Talk less and opt for short message service (SMS) to communicate. This is the new suggestion of the Union government to mobile phone users.

As per the guidelines issued by the Department of Telecom here on Friday for cell phone users, consumers should reduce the length of calls and use text messages instead. If they want to talk for long, they should opt for landline over mobile phone, it said.

The precautionary guidelines were issued by the Department of Telecom to create health awareness among the public on over-use of cell phones.

The guideline further said mobile phone users should rather use speakerphones or headsets, to maintain a distance between the body and the phone. It added that consumers should make calls from a location where signals are strong.

“If the radio signal is weak, a mobile phone will increase its transmission power. Find a strong signal and avoid movement, use your phone where reception is good,” the guideline said.

Safety concerns

Besides, the government advised that wearing glasses with metal frames or having wet hair should be avoided while making a call as “metal and water are good conductors of radiowaves.”

The government also advised the users against carrying the phones in the breast/chest or pant pockets, as the cellphone “automatically transmits at high power every one or two minutes to check network.”

Those people who are having active medical implants should preferably keep the mobile phone at least 15 cm away from the implant, the guideline added.