The analysis of electromagnetic (EM) energy deposition inside the human head close to mobile handsets has been a hot topic in recent years. This paper presents the computation of the EM field distribution inside a multilayered prolate spheroidal model of a human head due to the radiation from a mobile dipole, using spheroidal vector wave functions. The coupled unknown coefficients were determined from a square matrix equation system, and the specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions inside the spheroidal head models were calculated. The various SAR distributions versus the distance between the source and the head at different operating frequencies and antenna inclination angles are presented and discussed. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union