AMTA Snapshot Edition 91

Mobile telecommunications industry stands by its warranty protection offered to consumers The mobile telecommunications industry in Australia provides customers with proper warranty protection to ensure defective handsets are repaired free of charge, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has told radio station 5AA in Adelaide.

AMTA rejects Democrats’ false mobile tower claims The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association rejects today’s false and misleading claims made by the Australian Democrats about mobile phone towers and alleged health effects.

AMTA hosts international EME discussions This week AMTA met with the Chair of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), Christophe Grangeat, from Alcatel-Lucent (Paris), and Peter Zollman, Vodafone (UK), chair of the GSM’s Association’s expert panel on EME.

Opposition announces Shadow Ministry Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has announced his Shadow Ministry which includes a new appointment to the Communications portfolio. Mr Bruce Billson is the member for Dunkley in the outer Melbourne metro area. Mr Billson has experience in the Howard government as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister assisting Minister for Defence.

BBC wi-fi program found to be misleading and unbalanced, says editorial complaints unit The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU) has found a Panoroma show about wi-fi to be misleading and ruled it had failed to present a range of scientific opinion on the issue in a balanced manner.

Get down the wicket to smother the spin – a not unknown art in the national tweak capital A chance to meet new Ministerial staffers, key regulators and departmental officials will be provided in an informal setting at the Prime Minister’s XI cricket match in Canberra at the end of January.

TIO appoints new Council Chair Ms Virginia Hickey has been appointed as Chairman of the Council of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme. Ms Hickey takes over from the Honourable Tony Staley, who served with distinction as Chairman of the TIO Council for 11 years.

No pass required as we wave George Bush Intercontinental goodbye Some Continental Airlines passengers leaving Houston will be the first in the nation to board flights without waving a paper boarding pass, as long as they have a cell phone handy.

The mother of all text messsages landed 15 years ago "Merry Christmas" may not be the most original greeting in the world, Neil Papworth admits today, but as he was about to send the world's first text message to a cellphone, it struck him as fittingly festive, certainly more so than "Mr. Watson, come here," the first words spoken over the telephone.