AMTA Snapshot Edition 82

Thieves get the message: stolen mobiles are network blocked Blocks on lost and stolen mobile phones from the mobile telecommunications industry’s handset blocking program fell nearly 30% in the 12 months to June, 2007. The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) figures show the average daily blocking rate of lost or stolen mobile phones in 2006 was 294 handsets compared to 411 in 2005.

Light breezes and fair sailing as telcos pitch in to help the Salvos Light breezes and enthusiastic participants pitching in to help the Salvation Army’s homeless youth initiative characterised the Telco Regatta, which was sailed on Sydney Harbour in perfect weather yesterday.

Telco sailors land a heap of old mobiles for recycling Thanks to those sailors who cleaned out their cupboards and drawers at work this week and handed them in for recycling at yesterday’s Telco Regatta. Mobilemuster received nearly 20 kg of mobile phone handsets, batteries and chargers, including 114 handsets.

Mobile phone industry rejects false base station claims at synagogue AMTA has written to the Herald Sun newspaper about today’s report on Caulfield residents in Melbourne attempting to take their local synagogue to an international rabbinical court over the installation of a mobile phone base station.

Mobile phones – a quick, direct and targeted communication method for schools and parents in WA Western Australia’s public schools will have a new weapon to fight truancy in 2008, with the State Government announcing a $950,000 five-year contract to provide SMS communication software to public schools this week.

Phonecalls and texts to be logged BBC News reports that information about all landline and mobile phone calls made in the United Kingdom must be logged and stored for a year under new laws.

MMF commentary on BioInitiative Report The Mobile Manufacturers Forum has provided a commentary on the recently-released BioInitiative Report, which it describes as an informal commentary on some of the scientific information on the health impacts of electromagnetic fields (EMF). This initiative was led by Ms. Cindy Sage (an environmental consultant) and is a series of articles by herself and several academics.