A recent Development is going to be a game changer in the Indian Mobile Market, after the declaration of Indian government that Mobile Tower Radiation Emission is safe for human being, DOT now has raised Eyebrow on the Mobile Handset Manufacturers and is devising a new protocol based on Safe Absorption Rate(SAR).
SAR states that the safe radiation level while the handset is in use is set at 1.6 W/Kg which currently not followed in Indian context as the current guidelines are set on the age old standard followed by European Union which sets the safe emission level at 2W/Kg.
As per this standard the Mobile handset manufacturers now have to mention the Radiation level of the Handset on the packaging itself. This move can be seen in multiple perspectives:-
A. As per the Research existing 650 handset models are not going to fit into the new policy. So a danger of many models going to be obsolete which can be heart break for many consumers because you never know you New brand handset which you loved a lot Emits a lot as well. So you need to discard it. For the mobile companies the heartburn is in the form that may be Bestselling featured model now may be phased out due to not fitting into the new standard.
B. An opportunity for the Fixed line operators to go full swing in the market stating opting them is a better idea as they don’t emit any radiation in form of Towers or Handsets.
C. An opportunity area for the stagnant mid and low level handset category as many customers are going to dump away their existing phones which will result in a new market for them to either sell whole heartly there product and compensate the losses of 1st point.
D. Another study states that new standard will result in additional Rs 400 on the handset cost. This news worries me less because as a mid-segment handset consumer I won’t mind paying a bit more for my new handset rather handset burning my mind with Radiation . In the Handset manufacturer perspective they have to part off with a portion of low and ultralow price point handset segment customers as these price sensitive customers will be away for a while waiting drop in the prices.
The Emission standard is good move as the chances of getting radiation hit is low, despite the fact that the cost of the handsets may go up but I am sure with the pace of technological advancements in this period of time. The handset makers can easily surpass this hurdle and will be able to match the standard emission as instructed by DOT. People won’t mind parting with their existing phones due to non-compliance.
Additionally telecom authorities should work upon the ways to recycle the old handsets as this Electronic waste is going to be a Big headache.
Tele-Columnist!