Does your mobile phone constantly suffer from battery problems? Blame it on your mobile operator rather than the phone maker. What was earlier taken to be an issue rising from defective components in handsets, has merged as a network related problem. The handset manufacturers took this issue of weak battery as a serious problem and did a background check that showed the problem to rise from bad network layout of the service provider rather than what came out of their manufacturing units.
According to industry experts comprising of major handset manufacturers, a weak network stresses mobile phone components severely and can reduce your handset’s life. If you work out of a basement, the likelihood of your changing the handset more frequently due to weak signals is higher, add experts. “Components like mobile phone batteries start consuming highest power and operate at their peak levels during a weak wireless signal. If the phone is constantly exposed to a weak signal, the life of a phone battery can get severely reduced,” says Lloyd Mathias, sales head, Motorola India.
Moreover, not only the battery but other parts like the chip on the circuit board, the LCD screen and Radio Frequency (RF) antenna also come under high strain due to weak signal strength. Basic mobile phone components include resistors, capacitors, ICs, diodes all mounted on the PCB (printed circuit board). But the slim handsets have all components, including the display mounted on a single chip, add sources at the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA).
H S Bhatia, national head of GSM Mobile Phones, LG India says, “Unlike countries like Korea or Japan, the network infrastructure in India is not adequate. Weaker network strains the battery which can shorten its life.” On the problem with phones used more frequently in basements, experts say, “In basements, signals get highly obstructed. Lesser number of Base Tranceiver Stations (BTS) make the signal even weaker, thus affecting the handset components.”
Thus, if your phone constantly receives a weak network signal, you can change your service provider or demand for better network coverage. Till the service providers decide to increase their BTSs, however you may have to invest in new handsets more often.