Mobile Phones Cleared For Use On Flights

A new ruling has allowed mobile phones to be used on commercial airliners after the EU Commission permitted their use under new European Commission rules. The new ruling will permit the use of phones once the aircraft is above the height of 3,000 metres and follows six months of debate and research by an European regulator.

The commissioner of the EU has warned that the new service must be reasonably priced and will not be successful if passengers discover that they are being unfairly charged for the service. Airlines will also need to ensure that the use of mobile phones on aircraft does not disturb other passengers. The system will allow an aircraft to sent the mobile phone signal from its base station to a satellite where it will be beamed to the ground and sent via the telephone exchange to the relevant land/mobile number.

Airlines are currently allowed to choose if they wish to have the technology onboard their aircraft however with healthy competition and demand for the services it will not be long until most airlines adopt the new mobile systems. There are still a few regulatory obstacles to overcome before the system is completely approved however it will not be long until the sight of people speaking on mobile phones becomes a reality on commercial airliners.

Published by: Jon Vickery