It is a fascinating device enabling people to have instant contact and communication with family, friends, colleagues and business associates. Furthermore it facilitates clinching of business deals and comes pretty handy in emergency situations.

However, it also invades privacy and infuriates people by interrupting conversations and causing noisy chatter and ring tones in trains, libraries, restaurants, cinemas and places of worship.

Welcome to the high-tech world of mobile phones, commonly known as hand phones in Singapore and cell phones in North America!

It was not too long ago that the hand phone was a status symbol, flashed around by top Singapore executives and professionals. Now, it is being carried even by students, construction workers, foreign maids and toilet cleaners here.  Indeed, it has become a popular, portable communication gadget for the masses in Singapore

Figures from Info-Communications Development Authority (IDA) show the mobile phone penetration (MPP) here has surged  from  45.7 per cent in 1999 to 133.2 per cent in April this year. MPP is the number of active mobile phone users as a percentage of the total Singapore population. The fact that MPP is 133.2 per cent means that there are many people having more than one hand phone.

The lower prices and attractive packages dangled by telecom operators played an important part in the proliferation of hand phones. But their ubiquitous presence here has its downside too -- the rise of noise pollution levels and a fall in courtesy standards.

Many of us have gone through exasperating encounters with inconsiderate and boorish behaviour of many mobile users. We are quietly reading a magazine in an MRT train when the piercing, ringing tone of the mobile shatters our concentration. The mobile user may be a contractor yelling instructions to a worker over the other end. Or an anxious mother rebuking her son - at home 15 kilometers away - for watching TV instead of doing his math homework.

Standing in an ATM queue, we fidget impatiently while waiting for the young man in front  -   he is chatting with his girl friend over the phone - while performing a double  transaction of  drawing cash followed by a fund transfer from his bank account to another bank.

And it is not an uncommon sight to see some people still picking up and answering mobile calls in the room during the middle of business meetings.  And despite strict instructions by cinema authorities, we still have occasional instances of people chatting on their mobile phones during the screening of films.

Yes, it is time we do something to arrest this alarming trend of discourtesy among some mobile users in Singapore.  Many other countries also face this problem. In India, its Upper House in Parliament - Rajva Sabha - has proposed that the country's  "rude" mobile users go to prison.

The House noted that India's 277 million mobile users "often create nuisance", according a report from the London Times.  Rajva Sabha stressed that users "need to be educated where and how to use the device without annoying others'' and endorsed a call for new draconian measures to do just that.

Nearly 10 years ago, in June 2000, Singapore's Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) embarked on a courtesy campaign for mobile users.  With tens of thousands more users now, MITA, through its Kindness Movement, should consider launching a second campaign -   a more intensive and comprehensive one.

Perhaps the Kindness Movement could come up with some clear guidelines on the   ethical use of mobile phones. They could be based on the unspoken rules, laid down by etiquette gurus.

For example, Debrette, the British publisher and authoritative guide on social conduct, has spelt out four main guidelines for mobile users. They are:

• Know when to turn your mobile phone off or vibrate it
• When you get a call, keep it short.
• Inform others at the beginning of a meeting if expecting an important call and ask for their permission.
• Keep your ring tone sensible - not everyone will necessarily enjoy your selection.

Jacqueline Whitmore, one of America's foremost experts on business etiquette and Director of the School of Protocol in Palm Beach, Florida, has laid down the dos and don'ts of using cell phones. The main ones are:

• Be all there. When you are in a meeting, performance, courtroom or other busy area, let calls go to voice mail to avoid a disruption. In some instances, turning your phone off may be the best solution.
• Keep it private. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid discussing private or confidential information in public.
• Keep your cool. Don't display anger during a public call.
• Avoid "cell yell". Remember to use your regular conversation tone when speaking on your wireless phone. People using such phone tend to speak more loudly than their normal tone.
• Follow the rules. Some places, such as hospitals or planes restrict or prohibit the use of mobile phones. So adhere to posted signs and instructions.
• Send a message. Use text messaging to send and receive messages without saying a single word.
• Spread the word. Discuss and promote the virtues of cell phone manners with friends and family members.

Apart from these guidelines, there are more salient mobile tips given by other etiquette experts. WiseGeek.com, the website which gives expert answers to thousands of common questions has this to say:

• Observe the 10-foot rule proximity rule. Maintain a distance of at least 10 feet (three metres) from the nearest person when talking on a cell phone. No matter how quietly you speak, others standing close to you will be forced to hear your personal and business problems.
• Love the one you are with. It is rude to take a phone call on a date or during a social engagement with others. It is also inconsiderate to take a call in the middle of a conversation or a business meeting.
• Use common sense. Turn off your phone before a job interview, presentation or boardroom meeting. Leave it off at funerals, weddings, court house, library or place of worship.

Jacqueline Whitmore's advice for hand phone users is: "Be a good Samaritan. Use your cell phone to help others. According to CITIA, the international wireless association, more than 224,000 calls a day are made to 911 are other emergency numbers by mobile phone users who report crimes and potentially life-threatening emergencies.''