Fergus Cassidy

GR8 expectations

THE first full test run of the Luas arrived safely at the terminus in St Stephen's Green last week pulling a row behind it.

The colloquial naming protocol beloved of Dubliners (Floozie in the Jacuzzi etc) came right off the tracks with the intervention of one Ross O'Carroll Kelly and his Johnny come lately description of the Luas as the "Daniel Day".

I thought we had settled on the Jerry Lee as in "I couldn't get a Joe, so I hopped on the Jerry Lee". But O'Carroll Kelly had to go and stick his left foot in it. Words escape me in response. So, N0 TKS M8.

I'm not at all surprised he wants to get involved because, after all, the Luas threatens to usurp his beloved Dort from being one of the chief inspirations and driving forces behind the mobile phone.

When it opens for business, the Luas will add to the rapidly growing pool of public transport commuters who, if international experience is anything to go by, will be transported to a new commuter world very different from the past.

Already the advent of the 'compact' newspaper is said to be laying the groundwork in preparation for mass public transport. As modern city centres fast become no-car zones, the subsequent decline in urban car travel will surely impact on radio stations and their 'captive' car audiences.

But it is the ubiquitous mobile phone that will be the big winner in a changing social landscape. If you've already had your fill of the "I'M ON THE TRAIN!" rant, then prepare yourself for the tram version.

Needless to say, this is not a uniquely Irish phenomenon. But we do like our mobile phones. The figures issued last week by the communications' regulator show Ireland has increased its mobile uptake to a whopping 83%. That puts this country in the top 15 in the world for ownership. In 2002 mobile phones outnumbered land lines globally for the first time. Ireland passed that mark a year later.

In a recent briefing document [1] by the UN-sponsored International Telecommunications Union called 'Social and Human Considerations for a More Mobile World', some of the facts and figures revealed are astounding and indicative of a bumpy ride ahead.

For example, in Australia up to 25% of mobile users are children. In China nearly 60% of subscribers are aged between 20 and 30. In Britain, 400,000 children under 10 own a mobile, up 500% in three years. Italy has 56% of its children aged 9-10 carrying mobiles. And in Japan the proportion of females aged under 18 owning mobiles is almost 100%.

The names around the globe vary as well. Americans call it a cell, Germans refer to it as a handy, the Japanese use keitai. In Arabic it's sometimes called makhmul and in China it's referred to as sho jo, which means, ahem, hand machine. Regardless of what they're called, there seems to be no doubt at all that phones-to-go are fast becoming as indispensable as wallets or purses and keys. And equally as valuable and important.

In a survey in Britain last year, 46% of mobile owners described the loss of their mobiles as a form of "bereavement". Toward the end of last year a ruling in Britain banning jockeys from using mobiles at racetracks was met with defiance by the jockeys.

As with the internet, mobiles are predicted to have similar potential to create social disruption and anxiety. But leaving aside the privacy issues for now, the one aspect of mobile phones that is grabbing attention is behaviour.

A survey by Nokia last year found that 89% of mobile users in the US believe that people need to adopt better "mobile etiquette". Examples of annoyance cited were using ringtones which disturb others and by, like you know, shouting.

On the other hand, the same survey also revealed that almost 70% admitted that they often cancel social events at the last minute by sending a text message. 78% admitted to dodging uncomfortable or awkward social situations by sending a text.

In America there is now the 'approxi-meeting' - the details to be worked out later by text messaging. The 'multi-meeting' involves making several tentative appointments and deciding which one to attend at the last minute.

The issues of health and safety won't go away either. A Dutch study last year on the effect of next generation (3G) mobiles found that radio signals caused headaches and nausea.

Mobiles are being jammed in some theatres and restaurants in New York and Japanese operators are adding clicks and other noises to handsets with camera phones. Environmental issues with discarded mobiles won't be easily dealth with either.

For the time being though the mobile is, so to speak, staying put. Its Latin root mobilis translates as 'easy to move, movable, loose, not fixed and not firm'. But it also has other meanings: 'inconstant, fickle and changeable'.

And that's a Jackanory for another Daniel Day.

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[1] 'Social and Human Considerations for a More Mobile World', prepared by Lara Srivastava, ITU telecom policy analyst (PDF 696k)