Society,
Health and Environment Top Agenda at Mobile
Conference |
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Governments, researchers, social scientists,
and the wireless industry among delegates and speakers
at Brussels conference
Mobile
Communications: Society, Health, Environment - Brussels,
January 20-21: A
major two-day conference will allow experts from
all over Europe to share evidence and opinion on
the contribution of mobile communications to safety,
the environment and European society.
Organised by the GSM Association's European Interest Group (GSME), the
European Commission, and the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF); the conference
will look at key issues such as the accepted scientific consensus, best
practice regulation and social contribution.
"The GSM Association, the global trade association for the world's GSM operators
places the highest possible emphasis on matters of public concern about mobile
communications," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association and member of the
board. "At the same time we want to ensure the full social and economic value
of GSM is fully understood - this conference is an important opportunity for
informative dialogue on these key issues."
Welcoming the conference, Kaisu Karvala, Chair of GSM Europe said: "The
mobile industry recognises its responsibilities and will live up to them.
We must listen to the scientific, medical, and social evidence; we must
ensure we communicate clearly with our customers; and we must continue
to adopt best practice network and service rollout."
The first day's agenda will take a close look at the emerging scientific
consensus on health issues and will also examine measures to improve
and inform public communications. The conference will then examine public
attitudes to mobile communications and will also recognise the social
contribution being made by GSM services - for example the conference
will hear that, in some countries, as many as 1 in 3 genuine calls to
the emergency services come from mobile phones.
On day two, case studies of best practice network roll-out, customer
communications and public regulation will be shared by member states
including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden and the UK.
Michael Milligan, Secretary general of the MMF said: "This conference
demonstrates the commitment of the industry - both manufacturers and
operators - to openness and transparency. It also highlights the importance
of taking a broad and inclusive view of issues around mobile communication
and health."
With more than 200 delegates from around the world and speakers from
several member states, the conference is the first gathering of its kind
and will also feature a keynote address on the Risk and Governance of
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) from Heinz Zourek, Deputy Director General
of the Commission's Enterprise Directorate.
"The Commission's involvement on the conference has been vital," added Kaisu
Karvala. "By working closely together we have been able to attract the top experts
in the field to contribute evidence and opinion to the debate. By continuing
to work together, we believe that we can construct a roadmap for operators and
manufacturers that can ensure a healthy future for our industry and our customers.
"This conference will help us to meet those objectives and fulfil the interests
of more than 400 million customers across Europe," she concluded.
Notes for Editors:
About GSM Europe
About the GSM Association
About the MMF
The MMF is an international association of radio equipment
manufacturers whose members include Alcatel, Ericsson,
Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Philips,
Sagem, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. The MMF
has offices in both Belgium and Brazil and is currently
involved in over 30 countries as well as supporting
an active international research program. For more
information, visit the website at www.mmfai.org
For further information:
Companycare Communications - Kevin Taylor, Richard
Fogg, Alex Sowden:
Tel: +44 7850 858 291 or +44 118 939 5900
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