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No Beeping Please: Mobile Phone-Free Zones On The Increase

BIRNBACH (dpa) – After the boom comes the ban: increasingly more Germans own a mobile phone but ever more theatres, churches, restaurants and other public places in Germany are banning the persistent beeping and ringing tones.

Rounded red signs with a red cross on a picture of a cellphone are becoming increasingly familiar sight.

Most phone users have now learned to switch off in theatres and cinemas, said Arne Schmidt of the Cinemaxx cinema chain in Hamburg. But despite the reminder signs on cinema doors, the beeps and ringing tones are have not been completely eliminated. “Anyone who is disturbed by a mobile, should report it to cinema staff,” said Schmidt. Only in the foyer is telephoning allowed.

Cellphones are also increasingly unwelcome in hotels and restaurants. “We ask our guests to turn off their phones in the breakfast room or the restaurant,” said Susanne Semmroth, spokesman for the exclusive Atlantic Hotel in Hamburg.

But the hotel offers a phone sitting service for guests who cannot bear to switch off, even while they eat. Staff will look after their phone, answer calls and, if necessary, bring messages or the handset to guests.

Hans-Joerg Ott, a pastor in the parish of Birnbach in Germany, caused outrage in May when he instituted a mobile phone ban in his church. “People were even going outside to use the phone during services,” said the Protestant cleric.

At church youth events participants often seemed to be “not really there at all” because they were constantly communicating by SMS (short message service), he said.

When a phone rang during a funeral service, it was the last straw for Pastor Ott. “Since then all church events have been mobile-phone free.” Young parishioners in particular found the ban hard to swallow, but the effect has been positive, Pastor Ott said.

Sometimes the ban has practical and safety reasons. “There is a general mobile ban around hospital intensive care and operating units,” said Christa Moeller, spokesman for Hanover University Hospital. The radio waves disturb monitors and machines and can be life-threatening, she said.

Mobiles are banned on air flights for the same reason. “It interferes with the on-board electronics,” said Michael Lamberty, spokesman for German airline Lufthansa in Frankfurt.

Even though modern planes are less sensitive to electronic disturbance, the law also takes this danger seriously. Warnings to turn off mobile phones must be given before take-off. Refusing to do so can lead to penalties of up to two years in jail, said Lamberty.

A ban on hand-held phones while driving has also recently been introduced in Germany.

Mobile phone manufacturers are responding to the need for mobile phone-free zones by offering cellular disablers that transmit on the same frequency as mobile phone radio signals, thereby blocking a cell phone signal to the network. But they are not allowed in Germany.

Phone users who want to remain in touch without disturbing others can now buy phones that simply vibrate when someone calls. Even less expensive models are beginning to offer this option, said T-Mobil, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

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