Support for Ban on Mobile Phones in Public Buildings
March 28 2002
More than eight out of ten people in France are in favour of blocking mobile phone signals in public places, such as concert halls, according to new research by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).
In addition, in Finland and Italy (where more than 80 per cent of the population have mobile phones, against 60 per cent penetration in France), support for the use of mobile phone blocking technology is also relatively high, (72 per cent in Finland and 73 per cent in Italy).
The research was undertaken at a time when there are plans to change or review the laws in some countries, such as France, to prevent the use of mobile phones in certain public places - such as cinema, theatres, restaurants and hospitals - by scrambling radio signals.
Other key findings include:
- Younger people across all three countries are least supportive of GSM jamming in public buildings. In France, for example, a little more than six out of ten (63 per cent) under-35s are in favour of mobile phone blocking, in contrast with more than three quarters (76 per cent) of the over-35s.
- In Finland and Italy, mobile phone users are less supportive of jamming than non-users, (43 per cent of users compared to 53 per cent of non-users in Finland, and 53 per cent compared to 62 per cent in Italy).
Alain Imbert, Director, TNS Telecoms said, 'These relatively high levels of support for GSM jamming in certain types of public venues suggests that users and non-users alike feel that mobile phone usage can be intrusive and are keen to see measures taken to limit its impact. However this issue needs to be considered carefully, particularly the effect that any legislation may have on mobile operators at a time when they are facing increasing financial pressure. Similarly, there are many technical questions that need to be addressed, for example how do you fine tune the jamming device to ensure that it doesn't affect mobile usage outside or near to the building that is using it?'
For further information, visit
www.tnsofres.com/telecoms This survey was undertaken by TNS Telecoms. A total of 1,834 interviews were conducted using a representative sample of people aged 15+ in Finland (309 individuals interviewed by telephone), in France (1,023 interviewed face-to-face) and in Italy (402 interviewed by telephone) between 19 December 2001 and 16 January 2002.
All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.
