Section 4A: Important Safety Information 215Important Safety InformationRadiofrequency (RF) EnergyUnderstanding How Your Phone OperatesYour phone is basically a radio transmitter and receiver. When it’s turned on, it receives andtransmits radio frequency (RF) signals. When you use your phone, the system handling yourcall controls the power level. This power can range from 0.006 watts to 0.2 watts in digitalmode.Knowing Radiofrequency SafetyThe design of your phone complies with updated NCRP standards described below.In 1991-92, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI) joined in updating ANSI’s 1982 standard for safety levelswith respect to human exposure to RF signals. More than 120 scientists, engineers andphysicians from universities, government health agencies and industries developed thisupdated standard after reviewing the available body of research. In 1993, the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) adopted this updated standard in a regulation. InAugust 1996, the FCC adopted hybrid standard consisting of the existing ANSI/IEEEstandard and the guidelines published by the National Council of Radiation Protection andMeasurements (NCRP).Body-Worn OperationTo maintain compliance with FCC RF exposure guidelines, if you wear a handset on yourbody, use the supplied or approved carrying case, holster or other body-worn accessory.Use of non-approved accessories may violate FCC RF exposure guidelines.For more information about RF exposure, visit the FCC Web site at www.fcc.gov.Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for Wireless PhonesThe SAR is a value that corresponds to the relative amount of RF energy absorbed in thehead of a user of a wireless handset.The SAR value of a phone is the result of an extensive testing, measuring, and calculationprocess. It does not represent how much RF the phone emits. All phone models are testedat their highest value in strict laboratory settings. But when in operation, the SAR of a phonecan be substantially less than the level reported to the FCC. This is because of a variety offactors including its proximity to a base station antenna, phone design and other factors.What is important to remember is that each phone meets strict federal guidelines.Variations in SARs do not represent a variation in safety.All phones must meet the federal standard, which incorporates a substantial margin ofsafety. As stated above, variations in SAR values between different model phones do notmean variations in safety. SAR values at or below the federal standard of 1.6 W/kg areconsidered safe for use by the public.The highest reported SAR values of the a920 are:
