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KEEPING in touch with children by mobile phone could soon become less stressful and worrying for concerned parents in the kingdom.
Riyada Tel is introducing a new mobile handset called 'Kandy Mobile' in the Middle East that promises to open a digital world that is suitable for the younger generation and can reduce the dangers of bullying, abusive content and uncontrolled expenditure.
Ebrahim Sonde, vice-president of Riyada Consulting, said: "We are in talks with major telecom providers in Bahrain for an appropriate package for the youngest customers of the growing telecommunications industry and incorporating requirements of the local culture for our customers."
The phone is set to be officially launched in Bahrain next month.
Forty per cent of the region's population is said to be aged under-15. Kandy Mobile provides entertainment, education and communication services while meeting the health and safety standards of the industry.
Dr Henning Walf, chairman, Kandy Mobile AG, said: "Children primarily need a mobile for their entertainment purposes - so we have created a cool device that does not look childish and that can at the same time help parents be in contact with their young.
"We provide both the apparatus and service that is suited to the requirements of both groups. It supports Java games and has a user-interface design that provides a great gaming and educational experience.
"It offers an MP3 player for music, audio books, languages and knowledge games along with a built-in loudspeaker."
Adults can supervise the calls made or received on the handset by controlling the numbers that can be accessed through the phone. Dr Walf explained: "The handset can store up to 60 numbers in the parental mode and the mobile can only receive or make calls and SMSs using those numbers.
"The mobile does not allow MMS so there is no chance that children can send or receive pictures over the phone. The only interface allowed is the download of music, audio books, wall papers or ring tones from the Kandy Mobile portal through a computer that can be made secure by the adults."
The mobile handset is the only one to have received the German Blue Angel label that certifies the product for having met both the environmental and consumer protection standards of the country.
It also addresses consumer concerns over radiation released by mobiles and the possible adverse effect on children. Dr Walf said: "It has the lowest radiation effects of any mobile phone in the world. The antenna of the phone is closer to the speaker unlike other handsets where it is next to the receiver and thus closer to the ear."
