It was first mooted in a comic strip years ago. Dick Tracey had a mobile phone concealed in his shoe. Decades ago this became reality - although the first mobiles were big and clumbsy - had frequent drop outs - and cost an arm and a leg to use.
Today the mobile has evolved into a brilliant piece of technology, small enough to be hidden in the palm of the hand and delivering information, photography and the Internet as well as just phone calls.
It can be found in the pocket or purse of just about the entire population - including children - and it is fast delivering a death blow to the old fixed line home phone.
In this capacity it's range has expanded and " black spots " are becoming fewer. It is rare to drive on any major road and be out of sight of that ubiquitous mobile phone tower.
Until recently we accepted limitations. There were problems using mobile phones within buildings or where deep valleys reduced the signal, but today we demand that our mobiles can serve us anywhere at anytime without limitation !
And that brings us into conflict with a section of the population concerned about the potential dangers of EME and EMR - Electro Magnetic Energy - and Electro Magnetic Radiation.
The problem is that so far science has not proven that EME and EMR pose any danger to the public in the levels involved in mobile phone transponder towers - but equally so - science has not proven them entirely safe.
There is evidence that EMR produced by the proximity to high voltage power cables may have a hand in some forms of disease such as Leukemia, but this is at output levels sky high in comparison to mobile phones.
The quandary is - that to improve mobile coverage and eliminate black spots - it is necessary to increase the number of phone towers and that these will need to be in high density areas of the population. Such transponders will be located near sporting fields, shopping centres and schools - and generally wherever there are large numbers of people needing to use mobile phones.
It seems we have a choice. Either accept that science considers EME and EMR harmless in the levels of mobile phone outlet - or learn to live without this modern means of communication !
It seems that at present we have a bit of each option. When a new tower is proposed we picket and protest - and loudly complain.
And when the protest is dismissed and the tower is put in place - we go back to " business as usual " - and happily continue our love affair with our mobile phones !
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