India may ban import of mobile phones without radiation display

KOLKATA: India may ban import of mobile phones that don’t display their radiation emission levels from September. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will shortly issue a notification calling for mandatory disclosure of specific absorption rate ( SAR) as a pre-condition for future handset imports, according to documents reviewed by ET.

The SAR value, which is the radiation emitted by a cellphone, will have to be displayed on mobile handsets just as the International Mobile Equipment Identity number is available on handsets imported into India.

Cellphone radiation varies from handset to handset and is measured in terms of its SAR level. Under the new handset emission rules announced last year, the radiation limit for imported handsets is pegged at a SAR value of 1.6 watts per kg (W/kg).

"DGFT may be requested to notify import of mobile phones with the prescribed SAR value in continuation to its earlier notification, prohibiting import of cellphones without the IMEI number," says the minutes of a recent internal DoT meeting chaired by additional secretary (telecom), Rita Tiwathia.

Industry executives present at the meeting expect the DGFT notification to come within weeks since the new handset emission rules kick in from September 1, 2013.

Samsung and Nokia representatives present in this meeting are learnt to have claimed that their new cellphones have a provision to display the revised SAR value of 1.6 W/kg. But it is understood that a sizeable number of Chinese phones in circulation will need to be redesigned to meet the new radiation standards.