mobile telephony(fahad,abrar)

8/14/2019 Mobile Telephony(fahad,abrar)

1/4

The Social Impact of Mobile TelephonyMobile telephony is without doubt one of the most explosive developments ever to have taken place in thetelecommunications industry. By the end of 1990 there were just 11 million cellular subscribers world-wide; eight years later that figure had jumped to 320 million and is now forecast by the ITU to exceed550million by the end of next year. Penetration rates in the Nordic countries were close to 60% by

September 1999, led by Finland (63%), Norway (58%), Iceland (56%) and Sweden (53%).

Mobile growth around the world has also been nothing short of astonishing. China posted an 87%combined annual subscriber growth rate from 1995 to 1998, with other major economies like Brazil (82%)and South Africa (67%) not far behind.

For the worlds poorest countries, cellular telephony and wireless local loop systems represent the bestchance yet of bringing the power of telecommunications to economically disadvantaged or isolatedcommunities. Cambodia, for example, is one of only half a dozen countries in the world where cellularsubscribers already outnumber fixed-line subscribers.

Without doubt, mobile telephony offers enormous advantages added convenience, greater personalsecurity, and the ability to take advantage of dead time to do business on the move. But the picture isnt

all rosy. Like most young technologies, mobile telephony is experiencing its share of teething troubles,including concerns about environmental impact, health and safety, and, of course, the social changesbeing wrought by a technology which, by making us permanently contactable, is having a profound effecton our interpersonal interaction.

A Steel-and-Concrete Jungle

Many cities around the world are becoming blighted by a gaggle of ugly mobile antennae, which spoilonce-pleasant views, detract from the authenticity of historical areas, and exacerbate the often alreadyoverwhelming presence of intrusive urban infrastructure such as electricity poles, telephone lines, trafficmanagement equipment and signage.

Predictably, environmental complaints have been the loudest in developed countries, where zoning laws,property rights and environmental obligations are often more strictly enforced, and where reliable accessto a range of communications services is, in any case, largely taken for granted. Communities indeveloping countries are, conversely, often so grateful for modern communications infrastructure that theyare happy enough for the moment at least to turn a blind eye to environmental aesthetics.

In order to avoid problems with environmental groups and local communities which can be potentiallycostly in terms of both legal fees and delays in network roll-out many equipment manufacturers andoperators are now working on ways to reduce the environmental impact of cellular antennas.

In the Central Business Districts of large, modern cities, the problem is relatively easily solved by simplyintegrating a large number of small antennas into the facades of tall buildings. In suburban and semi-ruralareas, on the other hand, the large, steel-grey structures needed to support larger cells are harder to hide

yet some operators have nonetheless come up with innovative solutions. In South Africa, for example,at least one operator has taken to camouflaging GSM towers in tropical palm trees with surprisinglysuccessful results. Elsewhere, the tall spires of churches and cathedrals are being used to hide antennas,representing a positive solution for both the general public and the religious organizations which suddenlyfind themselves with profitable antenna-site rental on their hands.

Etiquette for the Modern Age


2/4

When it comes to the undesirable side-effects of an increasingly unwired world, poor mobile phoneetiquette is today without doubt the worlds biggest collective gripe. Many companies and organizationsare now taking active steps to cultivate more socially acceptable use of mobile phones, among themmany of the biggest cellular operators and leading equipment vendors. Most, in fact, have now producedbooklets on mobile etiquette, and have a policy of asking their own staff to turn off their phones while inmeetings. At Harrods, in London, shoppers are asked politely to turn off their phones as they enter thestore. And many entertainment venues now make announcements before the beginning of eachperformance asking members of the audience to switch off before the lights go down.

One of Europes bigger mobile operators recently took the offensive by launching an advertisingcampaign aimed at encouraging more responsible and considerate use of cellphones. The campaign,which began with a series of cinema advertisements reminding people to turn off their phones before themovie, is targeted at people who not only take calls in socially inappropriate places, like restaurants, liveentertainment events or churches, but speak so loudly that everyone in the immediate vicinity is obliged tolisten to their call.

This intrusive aspect of mobile telephony recently prompted a columnist in the New York Times to publishan article denouncing the technology as the real Y2K virus. Aside from being scathingly critical of thegrowing number of people inconsiderate enough to inflict their calls on other restaurant diners, theatre-

goers and the like, the article pointed to a more insidious problem the tendency for mobile technologiesto lead to overwork and exploitation. Indeed, growing numbers of cellphone users can frequently be heardto complain that their company now expects them to be available virtually 24 hours a day. Alwayscontactable has come to mean always available, to the point where people are finding work taking overtheir evenings, weekends and even holidays.

A Complex Dilemma

While most handset manufacturers say the answer to this problem is simply to turn off the phone, thissimple action can be a hard one for many people, especially in times of increasing stress at work. Olderemployees fear being considered out of touch with new working methods; younger staffers fear beingpassed over for promotion in favour of more wired colleagues.

Solving problems of etiquette and over-connectedness requires action from two separate camps. Mobileusers need to become more aware of the fact that being interrupted during a face-to-face meeting orsocial engagement, or having to listen to loud conversations that dont concern them, is a source ofannoyance to most people. Mobile phone users should turn their handsets off whenever receiving a callwould be inappropriate for example, in any public place where others are in close proximity, at religiousservices, funerals, weddings, or in quiet places like nature reserves.

New technologies like GSMs Simple Message Service (SMS), call diversion and voice mail, anddiscreetly vibrating cellphones leave little excuse for bad manners. In an exceptional case when taking acall in company is unavoidable, users should excuse themselves before answering the phone, and thengo to a quiet place where they can sort out their business in private.

The second camp is companies and this means colleagues and immediate bosses, not just senior

management. Companies need to accord a greater amount of respect to employees right to personaltime. Ideally they should define a corporate policy on out-of-hours calls, and ensure staff stick to it. Notonly will a responsible, respectful policy on mobile phone use keep employees happier and moremotivated, it will ultimately translate into greater efficiencies, since staff who dont fear constantinterruptions are more likely to make themselves available to deal with a real emergency.

Health Issues


3/4

While evidence remains inconclusive, there remain concerns about the frequent use of mobile phones onhuman health. The potential impact of the kind of electromagnetic fields generated by cellular phones onthe human brain has received little attention until relatively recently, and its probably still much too soonto pronounce on the possible adverse effects of long-term exposure.

The little and inconclusive research undertaken so far has nonetheless hinted that excessive

exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) could cause such undesirable effects as memory loss,Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and even brain tumours.

An Australian study published in 1997, for example, suggested that transgenic mice exposed to signalssimilar to those emitted by a cellular phone were up to twice as likely to develop lymphomas. A UK study,meanwhile, found that mobile phone use could affect the nerve cells responsible for short-term memory,while a study carried out in the Nordic region linked excessive use of mobile phones with headaches andfatigue symptoms which generally disappeared as soon as cellphone use was discontinued.

But so far the lack of hard data has meant scientists have felt themselves unable to pronounce favourablyor negatively on the effects of heavy mobile phone use apart from meting out (unintentionally) amusingadvice such as the recommendation which appeared in a UK newspaper last year: "If you use a mobilephone a lot, you need your head examined."

In an effort to garner some concrete evidence about the possible effects of widespread long-term mobilephone use, the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated the International EMFProject, designed to provide a reasonable risk assessment of the dangers of frequent exposure to radiofrequency fields.

In what is the largest long-term study ever undertaken, EMF researchers will spend the next few yearsworking with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO specialized agency in Lyon,examining 3,000 head and neck tumour patients. The typical mobile phone use of this group will then becontrasted with the cellphone habits of 3,000 tumour-free control patients, to determine whether anycorrelation exists. The results of the study, along with other investigations into other possible non-cancerous side effects of mobile phone use, are due to be evaluated in 2003 and 2004.

For the moment, many operators and manufacturers are playing it safe and recommending that userstake precautionary action, such as alternating ears every few minutes during a long call, or takingadvantage of new, low-radiation antennas and phone chips. Separate earphones and microphones arealso increasingly widely used, as a way of keeping the possible radiation effects further away from thebrain, as well as allowing hands-free operation of the phone.

Safety in Numbers

When people are talking on a mobile phone, theyre often paying less attention than they should to whatsgoing on around them. This can be dangerous in certain situations, such as around building sites or particularly when driving a car. One extreme case, which came to light on the international press wireservices this summer, told of a man picked up while driving in the Israeli town of Netanya with a mobilephone glued to each ear. The man had become so engrossed in his conversations that he had taken tosteering with his elbows and was flagged down by a policewoman who had noticed his car weavingtreacherously from side to side.

While this is an exaggerated example, the use of mobile phones while driving is considered sufficientlydangerous by many governments that it is banned in at least a dozen countries, including Australia,Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain andSwitzerland.

Social Outcasts or New Freedoms?


4/4

The problem of social alienation is perhaps the hardest to pin down, yet is potentially one of the mostdestructive results of a world over-reliant on wireless communications. Sociologists are already beginningto note that many people, especially those under 30 years old, are spending a great deal of time speakingto people they are not with, at the expense of those who are actually there. A telling example comes fromFinland, which has over 60% mobile penetration. There, entire groups of young people sitting together arefrequently seen to be talking on their mobile phones to absent friends and colleagues.

Its the ultimate in social alienation, and indicative, say some, of a trend which threatens to eat away atour sense of social cohesion. Whether its the novelty of the technology or our simple need to feel wanted,the human brain seems to register incoming electronic signals as inherently more urgent and importantthan the interpersonal signals coming from a fellow human being in front of us.

Team this with an almost universal desire to avoid personal contact witness the popularity of every kindof impersonal invention, from e-mail and the Internet to automatic teller machines and its clear thatalienation could prove a serious side effect of a technology whose selling point until now has oftenfocused on slogans like "Its about communications between people" or "Connecting People".

On the other hand cellular telephony has brought great and new freedoms for youngsters and increasedsecurity and peace of mind for their parents. It is now possible for young people equipped with cellphones

to stay in touch with their parents and for parents to stay in touch with their children. This can help reduceor eliminate the need for meaningless restrictions on young people that were only in place because ofparents anxiety as to their childrens activities or whereabouts. Costs need not even be a major issue,since these can be controlled through the use of pre-paid cards.

A Thought for a Digital Age

Aside from yet-unanswered questions relating to health, the positive use of mobile technologies lieslargely in our hands in the hands of government, when it comes to environmental issues and safetyregulations; in the hands of operators, who can do much to ensure the smooth integration of thetechnology into our society, both in terms of equipment design and aesthetics, and through initiativeswhich help train people in mobile phone etiquette; in the hands of employers, who can take pains toensure staff with corporate mobiles are not abused; and ultimately, in the hands of users, who need to

cultivate a greater level of awareness and work to ensure that their phone use does not negatively impactthe lives of those around them.

With a little effort on everyones part, the benefits of mobile connectivity should serve to enhance ourexperience of life, offering us more freedom, and ultimately creating a better society in which people reallydo feel closer together.

mobile telephony(fahad,abrar)

Documents