AMTA Snapshot Edition 104

Claims linking mobile phone use to asbestos are “irresponsible at best”, says AMTA Claims that mobile phone use could pose a greater health risk than asbestos or smoking were irresponsible and disappointing, the Chief Executive Officer of AMTA, Chris Althaus, said this week on a Melbourne radio interview to discuss a Canberra neurosurgeon’s claims of a link between mobile phones and brain tumours.

Spotlight on social networking at AMTA Members’ Forum next week AMTA’s Members Forum next week in Sydney will focus on cyber bullying and social networking and it follows yesterday’s release of new international guidelines for safer use of social networking services, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo.

AMTA attends meeting to discuss new rules for use of hands-free mobiles in vehicles The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association has undertaken to provide information to the National Transport Commission about technological advances in safer in-car mobile phone technology as part of its deliberations on Australia’s Road Rules.

3G uptake could add more than $1 billion to Australian economy by 2010, says AMTA The estimated additional $1 billion to GDP by 2010 generated by the uptake of mobile data could prove to be conservative, AMTA told the Australian Bureau of Statistics ICT Reference Group in Canberra this week.

MobileMuster goes kerbside in the Hunter Region Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, and Maitland residents will receive a new waste collection service to recycle unwanted household goods, including mobile phones, in an agreement with MobileMuster. Hunter Resource Recovery, which manages the domestic recycling service in Cessnock, Lake Macquarie and Maitland City Council areas, unveiled their new Life Cycle service last week.

Telecommunications consumer stakeholder forum The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, today announced that a forum to identify ways to make consumer representation in telecommunications policy making more effective will be held in Canberra on Thursday 1 May 2008.

CTIA: Mobile Data Use Up, But Voice Remains King Revenue from wireless data services grew 53% last year, according to an industry group. But analysts say voice services continue to top consumers' list of reasons for choosing a wireless service provider.

Excessive texting may signal mental illness, says psychiatrist The Age reports that people who send large numbers of text messages and emails may have a mental disorder, according to a doctor writing in a leading psychiatric journal said.