Mobile communication and health
Separating fact and fiction

Mobile phone part of everyday life

The mobile phone has become part of our everyday life. More than 14 million people in the Netherlands own a mobile phone. What’s more, the number of SIM cards in use now exceeds the number of inhabitants of our country. This is an indication that mobile communication is becoming increasingly important to our economy and its future growth. In the healthcare sector, too, more and more use is being made of mobile communication for such purposes as keeping patients’ medical records up-to-date. Their medical details can now be updated directly from the patient’s location and this eliminates travelling time. This time can be used to good effect on the core activity of medical professionals: providing healthcare services. The Mobile Intensive Care unit of AMC, the Amsterdam University Hospital, was nominated for the Telemedicine Award 2006 for this mobile solution that allows the monitoring of patients in transit. And doctors at the Eindhoven Diagnostic Centre now get test results from their central laboratory five to ten times faster. Mobile communications saves lives. Indeed, the government is conducting a test with public alarms via mobile phones (cell broadcast) as an extension to existing means of communication, because "everybody now has a mobile phone". The test is being carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

People, companies and the government are not just using mobile communication more intensively, they are increasingly dependent upon it. This kind of reliance is possible only if the network is stable, nationwide and reliable. A salient point is that 16% of all families in the Netherlands no longer have a landline telephone. The University of Tilburg recently calculated that mobile communication produces an annual positive effect of 9 billion euros on the prosperity of the Netherlands.
No mobile communication without antennas

Antennas are necessary for mobile telephony and communication. The need for antennas increases in step with the more intensive use of mobile communication. Just as the road network evolved from stones to high-tech asphalt to allow the more efficient handling of the growing volume of traffic, mobile communication is undergoing a revolution from second-generation technology (GSM) to third-generation technology (UMTS) and the even faster HSDPA. HSDPA gives you the same Internet speed you have at home or in the office. This same evolution of data transmission speeds at home also occurs – albeit slightly later – in the mobile field. It is an essential development in order to keep in step with the demands of the market.
Concerns

To ensure the Netherlands is and remains mobile, KPN signed the Antenna Covenant. This voluntary agreement worked well for all stakeholders (government, operators and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities [VNG]), witness for example the study conducted by Berenschot and the tests performed by the Antenna Agency. However, more and more municipalities and members of the public are worried about the rollout of new generation networks like UMTS. Last year there was an enormous increase of popular concern, brought about by incorrect information circulated by opponents. This disquiet among the public and municipalities is based on emotions, not facts. That is not right. It's not good for the public, it’s not good for the economy and it’s not good for the position of the Netherlands.

We take the view that discussions about supposed health effects need to be conducted on the basis of facts provided by respected scientists, not incorrect information or emotions. After more than 2,500 tests and 25,000 published reports, the World Health Organisation has concluded that there is no evidence to show that exposure to radio waves of mobile phones or antennas is detrimental to health. Similarly, the Health Council of the Netherlands (Gezondheidsraad) stated in its annual review in December 2005 that no scientific grounds currently exist for assuming that physical complaints can be caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields.
More information

KPN considers it important to dispel possible concerns about this matter.

More information about the positions adopted by the Health Council of the Netherlands and the WHO can be found at www.gr.nl (only in Dutch available) and www.who.int/peh-emf (only in Dutch available), respectively. The results of independent tests can be found at www.antenneregister.nl (only in Dutch available).