WASHINGTON-Cellular companies and a leading technical organization have created a working group to develop design and performance standards for mobile-phone batteries, a move that comes amid reports of injuries caused by exploding phones.
“As the number of wireless phones sold in the United States continues to soar, the wireless industry recognizes the need to develop universally accepted quality criteria for wireless phone batteries,” said Steve Largent, president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.
CTIA, working with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, said the working group will comprise wireless carriers, manufacturers, testing labs and testing solution providers. The objective is to set uniform criteria for battery design, production and evaluation.
IEEE said the new standard will seek to make cellular-phone batteries-especially lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries-more robust by setting uniform criteria for their design, production and evaluation. Engineers will consider battery and battery pack electrical and mechanical construction, chemistries, process control, qualification and packaging technologies, among other areas.
CTIA and IEEE press releases did not mention the exploding phone problem.
In August, an exploding phone sent a California teenager to the hospital emergency room. The teen reportedly was using a Verizon Wireless LG Electronics phone.
In a Sept. 7 letter to the teen’s parents, Korea-based LG said an investigation concluded the battery at issue was a counterfeit, and therefore, it was not responsible for the accident.
In January, the U.S. Consumer Protect Safety Commission recalled batteries in phones manufactured for Kyocera Wireless Corp. The recall was prompted by four reports received by Kocera of battery failures, including one minor burn injury. The CPSC said the recalled batteries can short circuit and erupt with force or pose a burn hazard to consumers.
