A few days ago, we did an article regarding the Sony Xperia Z3 – when used as a hotspot, it was exceeding the safe and established limits of radio frequency (RF). TELUS immediately disabled the Xperia Z3’s hotspot capabilities and suspended sales of any new Z3 devices. Bell and MTS also put out orders to stop selling the Xperia Z3. About the situation Sony Mobile said, “In connection with a software update, a hotspot compliance issue with the Sony Xperia Z3 has been identified. We have been working with Industry Canada to provide a solution and a software upgrade will be made available in the next few weeks once testing is completed which will address this fully.”
Industry Canada makes note on its site that “RF energy exposure from Wi-Fi equipment in all areas accessible to the general public are required to meet Health Canada’s safety guidelines. The limits specified in the guidelines are far below the threshold for adverse health effects and are based on an ongoing review of thousands of published scientific studies on the health impacts of RF energy. The public exposure limits apply to everyone, including children, and allow for continuous, 24/7 exposure.” When it comes to Wi-Fi, they claim it must meet requirements “for the safe use of radiation-emitting devices operating in the frequency range from 3 kilohertz (kHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Wi-Fi operates in the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz frequency range.”
Our source received a document confirmed by Sony that, the Xperia Z3 emitted an RF signal over Band 2 that exceeded the established standards. Although Industry Canada did not require that the carriers remove the device, all of the carriers – TELUS, Bell, MTS and SaskTel – took it upon themselves to suspend sales. Rogers and WIND Mobile did not stop selling them.
Sony is poised to send out an OTA updated starting January 30 that will not only fix the RF issue but includes a few other goodies as well – “Enhanced audio volume in notifications and ringtones, New Xperia camera app called Portrait Retouch, Improved Exchange ActiveSync performance, and Fine-tuned audio for speakerphone.” Sorry to say that they will not be including Lollipop… still Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know if you use your Xperia Z3 as a hotspot and if you received your new update and how everything went… as always, we would love to hear from you.