1. Is the quality of the mobile network an influencing factor? These tests explicitly exclude the influence of the network. The tests are undertaken using a network simulator (undisturbed network).
The focus of the tests is to verify that the implemented signal processing in the phones is disabled.
2. What mobile technology was tested, 2G, 3G or VoLTE? Do these technologies matter to the testing result? The tests were conducted for 2G and 3G mode, not yet for VoLTE but this is of course possible.
Mobile technologies do not influence the testing results. The conclusion from these ITU-T
P.1100/
P.1110 ‘Chapter 12 tests’ is unchanged – internal signal processing in the mobile phones should be disabled in a Bluetooth® connection, independent of the mobile network and its technology.
3. What cars are used in these tests? No cars are used in these tests. The tests employed a commercially available Bluetooth® reference interface which served as a network simulator in narrowband and wideband mode as specified in ITU-T P.1100/P.1110. ITU-T P.1100/P.1110 does not distinguish between different car brands or models.
4. Why is this whitelist so short? Why are some of the best-selling phones not on this list? In the
first ITU P.1100/P.1110 testing event, 46 tests were carried out on a total of 35 ‘state-of-the-art’ mobile phones provided by participants from 12 different phone vendors. Phones were tested in narrowband and wideband mode (see the
anonymous report of this event). 11 of these phones were able to pass the tests and made it onto the
whitelist.
It should be noted that automakers have performed such tests on hundreds of phones, repeatedly, over several years, perhaps using many different testing labs in parallel. The ITU testing event did not aim to replicate their effort – the results of similar tests are well known to the auto industry.
The aim of the ITU test event (and publication of the whitelist) was to highlight this persistent problem in order to motivate change.
Automakers do not want to continue testing phones in such large quantities, at such frequent intervals. It is a significant waste of time and money, especially given that the results of the tests quickly become irrelevant as new software and devices come to market every few months, giving rise to the need for new rounds of testing.
5. Why has ITU not highlighted the phones that failed the tests? It is very important to note that the sample of mobile phones of the first ITU test event on this topic will fast become irrelevant as new software or mobile devices come to market.
A ‘blacklist’ of phones could be harmful to the business of mobile phone manufacturers, and that is not the intention of this exercise.
The intention of the whitelist is to encourage mobile phone manufacturers to perform the ‘Chapter 12 tests’ on their products to ensure their compatibility with vehicle HFTs. If phones can be shown to adhere to the requirements of ITU-T P.1100/P.1110, ITU will be glad to assist in promoting the fact that these phones have been optimized for high-quality voice conversations when connected to Bluetooth®-enabled vehicle HFTs.
6. My phone is in the list but with another software version. Can I assume that it would pass these tests?
No, unfortunately not. Tests of this nature have shown that the same device implementing different software can behave differently when connected to Bluetooth®-enabled vehicle HFTs.
