ISRAEL: The communication and environment ministries have banned the cellular companies from marketing phones in the house and internet connection that are based on cellular modem, because of the radiation concern.

Translation by Iris Atzmon:

The cellular companies will not be able to provide home lines

http://www.nrg.co.il/online/16/ART1/917/492.html

The communication and environment ministries have banned the cellular
companies from marketing phones in the house and internet connection that are based on cellular modem, because of the radiation concern.

Maariv 16.7.09
By Aviv Lavie

The cellular companies will have to conceal the plans to become an
important factor in the field of communication in the house The
communication ministry executive and the environmental ministry
executive summarized that the companies will receive an order to stop
marketing the wired phones and the internet connection that are based
on cellular wireless modem.

Cellcom, which led the new field, already removed from its website the
advertisements for these products. The companies Bezeq and other
companies that operate house services that are based on wired
communication are the big profit makers from this.

The story began 3 months ago, when the head of radiation arm in the
environment ministry, Dr. Stelian Galberg, watched an advertisement
for house communication systems of the cellular companies, that
started being sold without anyone informing him. Galberg was afraid
that if these systems succeed in penetrating, there would be a need to
erect thousands of new antennas in order to enable them operate and
the radiation quantity will increase a lot. The reason for that is
that in the house the system operate as a wired line like Bezeq
systems but outside the house they receive the communication from the
cellular antenna.

In the Environment ministry [they] approached to the communication
ministry, and claimed that the law of non ionizing radiation enforces
to act according to the precautionary principle, meaning expose a
person to radiation only when it’s justified. "When a person travels
in his car and wants to talk on the phone he has no choice but do it
with antennas", Galberg told to Business, "but when we are talking on
the phone in the house, it can be done with wired communication"

The radiation levels will increase significantly

In the first stages, the communication ministry did not take a stand
and enabled the cellular companies widen the marketing of the home
systems, but in a meeting between the two executives of the
ministries, the representatives of the communication ministry admitted
that the only justification for the service is the technological
neutrality principle, according to which, the communication ministry
will offer to the public many technologies and they will choose
according to their will the most suitable service.

In contrast, the environment ministry team clarified that the service
will increase significantly the radiation levels to which the public
is exposed "with no justification". In view of these things, it was
agreed to order the cellular companies to stop immediately the
marketing of home systems

"The law forces us to act according to the precautionary principle"
Galberg said yesterday. "When we transfer the guideline to the
cellular companies, if some company will continue to market wired
systems it will be against the law. We will enable them do it only
where there is no wired communiation like in isolated houses that are
disconnected to Bezeq lines."

The question is what lessons will be learnt of this development. Dr
Galberg said "we discussed the lessons and the first thing we told
them is ’next time ask us first’. They didn’t receive it with love,
but definitely with understanding". The cellular companies said that
"the subject is being examined". The minister of environment said that
"the health consideration is before any economic " consideration, and
we have no intention to compromise on this subject.

Ver la noticia original AQUÍ