NCC, MMF collaborate on EMF awareness

Concerns over the effect, if any, of mobile phones, masts and other telecom and ICT products and infrastructure, have continued to gain grounds across the world, especially as the use of ICTs, mobile phones in particular, has become indispensable in daily living globally. In Nigeria, these concerns have also been expressed repeatedly.

In a rather proactive manner, the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), played host recently to the Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, of Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), Mr. Thomas Barmuller, for bilateral discussions with the regulator on reassuring the Nigerian telecom consumer of their safety from electromagnetic field (EMF).

The MMF is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1998 by a number of leading manufacturers of mobile radio equipment, including leading ones like Nokia, Samsung, Apple, as well as network suppliers like Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent, among others.

One of MMF's main objectives is to provide funds to key research projects concerning health and mobile phones, as well as to cooperate on standards and regulatory issues. It has also an important activity in social communication with the public.

The funding effort of MMF follows and acts in coordination with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation's Electromagnetic Fields Project. MMF also acts towards the harmonisation of national and international standards of safety in microwave electromagnetic radiation used in mobile communications. In the regulatory policy field, MMF represents the mobiles industry at an international level and helps with local issues and demands.

On this occasion of Mr. Barmuller’s visit to the NCC IT & Telecom Digest spoke with him and Engr. Ubale Ahmed Shehu Maska, the NCC’s Head of Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department, which facilitated the visit, on the importance of the collaboration, among other issues. Their brief comments:

Why we are collaborating with MMF

Question: Why was it necessary for this meeting with the MMF?
The meeting was necessary and important because we are the Commission wanted to be acquainted with the scope of work of the MMF, especially as the group represents and is made of manufacturers of mobile phone, and given the fact that a lot of these products are in use in Nigeria, it is important for us to collaborate with the Forum on its work, to also help us in discharging our duties in a well-informed manner.

How will this collaboration impact the Nigerian telecom industry, or what will be the benefit of this collaboration to the telecom sector in Nigeria?
There will be quite a number of benefits. As you know, quality of service in the telecom sector is a very important issue now in Nigeria. Everyone is unquestionable asking for quality telecom service; and this is of course important. But to get telecom services across to all the nooks and crannies of the country, it is important to also have infrastructure like base stations, masts and so on, across the country. And you know that a lot of people have been expressing worries about base stations or masts being erected in their environment for health issues. They have been expressing concern on whether these masts and base stations have any health hazards. With therefore, we will, working with the MMF, be able to educate the people and reassure them that indeed, they need not worry. Once they are able to understand and accept and allow base stations and masts to be erected in their neighbourhoods, then it will be easy to assure them of quality telecom services. This is one of the overarching benefits of this collaboration; and we do hope that it will lead to a lot of other benefits for the Nigerian telecom consumer.

We’re very concerned about health issues

Question: Welcome to Nigeria. Why do you think that this meeting between MMF and the NCC was important?

I think it is necessary to address a number of issues. Firstly – and it’s the main focus of MMF – we deal with EMF (electromagnetic field) and health issues, to inform people about compliant mobile phones and how they work; and that people do not have to be concerned when they use compliant mobile phones. And secondly, mobile communication has become more and more important in our lives; and therefore, we think we also need reliable products to really leverage on the advantages that we can get.

Working with a regulator like NCC, not a manufacturer or operator, how will that help to reach the consumer, this being your main target?

Actually it is necessary to co-operate with regulators in this field, because it will make life easier for all the customers. For example, we talk a lot about counterfeit mobile phones; this, even at the beginning, we hope to co-operate with the NCC.

Tell us how MMF evolve, how did it come about?
In 1998, there was already obviously a need to do more research in this field of EMF and health issues. So the manufacturers founded MMF in order to contribute to the research in terms of mobile phones and health.

Did the research become necessary because the manufacturers saw the need or because consumers or the public asked for it?
It’s mainly about the public or customers for health concerns; and where the customers have concerns as a responsible and reliable manufacturer, you have to deal with such concerns. And that’s what obviously started our entire programme.

You made clear that RIM (manufacturers of Blackberry), Huawei and few others are not yet members of MMF. What does it take to become a member?
Well, all it takes is write a letter to our secretary-general and apply for membership; and there is no problem at all. We will be happy in particular to welcome RIM or other manufacturers. At the moment, MMF represents 80 per cent worldwide of handset sales and quite some networks provided by MMF members. So we do already represent a major part of the business.

A lot of equipment manufacturing today, including by many of your members, is done in China. Is MMF able to ensure that the standard you set is followed even by plants in China owned by your members?
Well, you may know that there is also high quality work done in China, otherwise companies will not manufacture their mobile phones there. But as always there are people who just try to take advantage of situations and rip-off customers. So, it is very difficult to address these issues; but as I said, we are working on it.

As a body, do you set standards for your members and new manufacturers who may want to join the MMF, on the threshold they must attain with their equipment before you admit them?
No; we don’t generate or set the standards for ourselves; standards are generated by standardisation bodies in which we take part; and we also conduct research in order to contribute to these standards. But it is a very open process; and all, including customer advocacy groups, can participate in the debate in standardisation.

Do you foresee this meeting becoming an ongoing process whereby you may come here again anytime soon?
Actually this is my second time in Nigeria; the first time, I was in Lagos, and we had a similar conference on EMF and health issues. Now I’m here in Abuja, in order to hopefully prepare ground for some kind of meeting or conference we are going to in 2012, and hopefully this will be the start of a good co-operation.

The conference you are planning for 2012, will it be open to the public?
Yes; it will be open to the public, because it will very much address particularly EMF and health issues. It will also address accessibility issues. And, we think it is the right way to provide the public with information and we will have international organisations represented by experts and speakers; and that means also that journalists and members of the public can talk these experts. And we hope this way it will create more confidence in trusting mobile communications.

Does MMF also attend major international conferences and make presentations?
Yes, we do. For example, in July (2011), there was a meeting of ITU-D Study Group 5 Regional Group for Africa in Gaborone, Botswana; I attended this meeting and also made a presentation there. So we do have good co-operation with the ITU-D; we think it is important to have strong bonds with them.

What will you say is the MMF’s greatest challenge?
Our main challenge still is to get across compliant mobile phones used in the way as they should be used for making phone calls and transmitting data; and easy to use and do not harm people’s health. We do know that people are concerned; and we hope that we contribute with our information that they can make informed decision and know mobile communications can be enjoyed without being harmful

As expressed at your meeting today, research is still ongoing; and this has been on for a long time, on the precise position of whether there are harmful effects or not from mobile phone products. When do you think this research will become definitive that no, there is absolutely nothing at all to worry about?
I think it is hard to say or put a precise time frame, because recently it was mentioned that we have to put more effort on long-term heavy use (of mobile phones); and so, research in this field is going on. And this could take several years. But the research that was already done clearly suggests that there is not a risk aligned in using mobile communications equipment if you use compliant equipment.

So, what were you engaged in before you became Director of MMF for Europe, Middle East and Africa?
Before I joined MMF, I worked at the national level in Austria for an operators’ organisation; prior to that I was a member of the Austrian Parliament for almost a decade engaged in environment issues and renewable energy, and in particular, traffic. The environment concerns me, because I think it is very important that we do not ruin our environment; because we want to live in it, not ruin it.