TORONTO The piercing ring of a mobile phone is enough to send many restaurant and movie patrons into a rage, but Canada's mobile phone industry is dead against the government forcing etiquette on the country's eight million users by legalizing signal jamming technology.

Industry Canada, the federal regulator, is planning to launch three months of public consultations into the use of the technology, which could be used to block cellular phone signals in restaurants, theaters, libraries or other locations.

"We're going to gather the widest public views possible on the use of cell phone silencers," said the ministry's advisor David Warnes.

Warnes told the *** National Post *** newspaper that not only are there widespread complaints about cell phone use in public places but also inquiries by security firms that want to put jammers in corporate boardrooms to protect privacy.

The industry representing cellular phone manufacturers and network operators is firmly against legalizing signal jamming systems on the grounds that it could compromise public safety.

"Jamming technology is illegal here in Canada. We hope it would remain illegal," said Marc Choma, a spokesman for cell phone lobby group the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. "Our primary concern is public safety with three million (emergency) calls per year made to 911."

Cellular phones have long been advertised as indispensable tools in an emergency, and the industry is worried that this lifeline would be compromised with jamming technology.

Lately, the industry has been under attack from multiple fronts as cell phones become ubiquitous, with critics saying mobile phones are health risks and many North American jurisdictions considering banning their use by drivers.

In early February, member of Parliament Bill Blaikie introduced a motion asking the federal government to make it illegal to drive while talking on a mobile phone, except in an emergency.

Blaikie cited the case of a three-car crash in a Toronto suburb in which five people were seriously hurt when a man ran a red light. He said witnesses reported the driver was using a cell phone at the time.

There are currently 8.3 million cellular phone users in Canada, up 27 percent from 1999, and this number is expected to grow by 25 to 30 percent in 2001.

Cellular phones are a fairly new invention and have only gained widespread popularity in the past few years, so it only makes sense that society has yet to self-regulate their usage, said Choma.

Vicki Whitmell, the executive director of the Canadian Library Association said she has yet to hear of problems with cell phones in libraries.

"I haven't heard anyone mention this issue and I would think it's partly the culture of libraries. People know how to use libraries and most libraries have had a policy in place regarding it for some time," she said.

(Reuter)