WASHINGTON, March 7: Cell telephone users already dismayed at losing their signal in tunnels, large buildings and in mysterious “dead spots” can blame another factor for cutting off their vital conversations — solar bursts.

Bursts of microwave energy from the sun can disrupt wireless cell communications several times a year, a team at Lucent Technologies’ Bell Labs said on Wednesday.

They are worst at so-called solar maximums, which are marked by sunspot and other activity.—Reuters