International iPhone users: you're on your own according to the FCC

OK, so here's a very geeky observation about the iPhone and its FCC certification. Non-geeks may keep moving; you probably don't want to read this.

Apple's iPhone specs say that the iPhone is a quad-band phone, operating using the international GSM standard on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz. I always assumed that the FCC tested cell phones for safety and proper transmission in all bands of operation. So why does the FCC certification published yesterday only list 850 and 1900 MHz?

The simplistic answer: the FCC didn't certify anything other than 850 and 1900 MHz because those are the only US GSM frequencies. The other two bands are only used in other countries (where, by the way, GSM dominates the cell phone standards). The US doesn't use them, so the FCC didn't have to certify them. End of story. Well, not quite.

See, the FCC certification is supposed to guarantee that FCC-certified devices don't generate harmful interference to other radio services. While the US mobile phone companies don't use those frequencies, other services may be using them. So hypothetically, suppose the iPhone had a design defect and were continuously beaconing somewhere in the 900 or 1800 MHz bands at its full rated 600 milliwatt output, wouldn't that be a problem? Not according to the FCC. Oh well; that's just something for companies to keep in mind they are bidding to spend $10 billion on US radio spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands.

There's another odd bit too. A big part of the certification is ensuring that the phone won't cause radiational harm to the person using it. And the certification as filed does that; geeks can read the report in gory detail here. The only problem: it only tested for 850, 1900, and 2400 MHz WiFi emissions. International users of 900 and 1800 MHz bands? Sorry, that's out of scope.

Product certifications protect consumers in mysterious ways. If this certification is any guide, FCC cell-phone certifications are more mysterious than most. Just don't complain if your iPhone accidentally fries your brain or interferes with airline navigation when you're using the GSM phone systems in France. That's just not the FCC's problem.

[Extra credit geeky note: the WiFi and Bluetooth 2400 MHz certification is actually more relevant to safety no matter where you live because that's the frequency at which water absorbs radio waves and heats up. Said another way, it's the frequency of microwave ovens. 2400 MHz safety certification is rather significant because the last thing you want is your cell phone doing the microwave oven thing with your head, which, coincidentally, has a lot of water in it. The fact that the WiFi section of the iPhone was certified to be safe in the 2400 MHz band is, in our opinion, a very good thing, and we're glad the FCC requires it, no matter what country you live in.].

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