Mobile communications from the air soon to be universal?
March 26th, 2008
There have been developments in the field of in flight mobile communications. It seems likely that the current restrictions will be lifted within the foreseeable future.
In April, 2006, Air France announced that it had ordered a "mobile-friendly" Airbus, to join its fleet early last year. Some UK airlines were already offering in-flight communications via the airline’s network, now Ofcom (the UK communications watchdog) has announced that plans are in place "to allow passengers on UK-registered aircraft to use their own mobiles while in flight in European airspace."
Further afield, Emirates airline is modifying its entire flight to allow calls in flight. The first mobile call on an Emirates flight was logged yesterday. Meanwhile in Korea, many cellphones are sold with a special "flight mode" installed, which disables calling, but allows games, cameras and dictionaries. Airlines are still requiring cellphone users to turn their phones off, however, saying it is difficult to check every phone to see if it is in flight mode. Confusion reigns.
Entry Filed under: Travel tips
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