OEM mobile cellular handsets batteries are safe: ICA

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) Reassuring subscribers and users of mobile cellular handsets in the country, Indian Cellular Association (ICA) today said batteries, which are a part of nearly nine crores original handsets sold in India in current fiscal, are manufactured with the latest technology and in extremely sophisticated state of the art plants.

''These new generation Lithium Ion batteries are more environmental friendly than the earlier generation Nickel batteries and they have extremely refined ingredients, which ensure versatility and safety,'' said ICA National President Pankaj Mohindroo in a statement.

The Lithium Ion batteries unlike the earlier generation batteries also carry a Printed Circuit Board, which prevents overcharge and under charge, he added.

Because of poor voltage and power conditions in India, he said, batteries which come with original mobile cellular handsets are usually of higher capacity than other parts of the world.

Further, he cautioned that besides these nine crores batteries which will be a part of the original mobile handsets sold in India (6.3 crore in 2006-07), the replacement batteries, which would be around four to 4.5 crores in 2007-08, a bulk of them are of very suspect quality. Most of these are grey and counterfeit.

He strongly advised consumers and trade to desist from using and selling such batteries. He also cautioned that since these are manufactured in extremely poor conditions with manual welding, poor slitting machines and using non standard coating material, most of these deliver very poor performance and may not be safe.

UNI