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Cellphones may not come with radiation labels from Sept

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE,INDIA: Radiation labels on cell phones may still be some time away afterall.

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The Department of Telecom, (DOT), which had fixed September 1, 2012 deadline for mobile manufacturers to conform to the new radiation emission guidelines, reportedly extended the deadline.

The DoT Guidelines which was first published in April, 2012 is aimed at phasing out existing models that do not comply radiation standards and also makes it mandatory for manufacturers to post levels of radiations on phones and retail outlets.

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has reportedly given one more year to mobile manufacturers to conform to the new radiation emission guidelines, and to phase out existing models that do not comply. The existing models that have been introduced on or before August 31, 2012 will be allowed to be in the market for another year.

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LiveMint which claims to have a copy of the internal DoT note reveals the department has revised the specific absorption rate or SAR value from the current 2Watts per kg to 1.6W.kg after recommendation of an internal government committee.

The DoT note said that, starting 1 September, “only mobile handsets with revised SAR value of 1.6W/kg would be permitted to be manufactured or imported in India for the domestic market.”

However, as stated earlier, the deadline has been now extended to August 31, 2013 for the existing models. The extension of the deadline was made after various stakeholders sought more clarifications on the new norms.

Pankaj Mohindroo, national president of the Indian Cellular Association lobby group, says the move cannot be dubbed as the extension of the deadline. LivemMint quotes Mohindroo as saying, “This is just keeping in mind the (18-24 month) product life cycle of the existing models. The government has carefully considered the demand and supply position of mobile phones with the revised SAR value, time required to launch new models of mobile phones and phasing out of existing models.”

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