AMTA Snapshot Edition 70

It’s not too late for the AMTA Conference and the release of major social and economic reports Two major reports will be released at next week’s Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association Conference ’07 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The social and economic impacts of mobile telecommunications have been studied by leading researchers in their field and will be released at the Conference on Monday, July 16, and Tuesday, July 17.

AMTA to appear at Senate inquiry into Interception Bill AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, and industry representatives will attend the Senate inquiry on the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment Bill 2007 on Monday 16 July. While the main issue in relation to International Standards has been addressed in the draft Bill to the satisfaction of the industry, there are a number of outstanding points that require minor amendments to the Bill. AMTA will work closely with the relevant government agencies to work through further drafting and clarifications issues in the Bill.

AMTA & MCF meet Kate Ellis MP for Adelaide The AMTA CEO Chris Althaus and MCF Program Manager Matt Evans met with Kate Ellis MP for Adelaide this week. Ms Ellis has been particularly vocal on the proliferation of mobile phone base station infrastructure in residential areas in her electorate, so the aim of the meeting was to hear first hand about these issues of concern, and to provide a briefing on industry initiatives to improve infrastructure siting and community consultation.

Saving the world starts on the home doorstep Mobilemuster is a proud sponsor of Keep Australia Beautiful Week which runs from Monday 27 August - Sunday 2 September 2007. This year’s theme Save the World, Start at Home is all about doing activities to help tackle Australia’s rising greenhouse gas emissions and electronic waste challenges.

Mobiles could increase health workers’ productivity by up to 25%, says UK study Mobile technology for community health workers could increase productivity by a quarter, reduce travel time by a third, and improve patient care, according to the results of an NHS trial.

Queensland one step closer to improved regulation of mobile network base stations A state-wide Assessment Code for Telecommunications Infrastructure in Queensland is one step closer following the recent closure of public submissions. It is anticipated the Code will soon be formalized by the State Government and incorporated into the latest revision of the Integrated Planning Act (IPA) in late 2007.

`No scientific evidence' of phone tower health risks The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association has responded to residents' concerns over a proposed telecommunication tower in Port Kembla. Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) CEO Chris Althaus told the Wollongong Advertiser this week there was no "credible scientific evidence" of health effects from living or working near a mobile phone base station, even for children.