Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin announced that his agency would give up looking into whether to approve the use of cell phones on airplanes. An opposite situation is underway in Europe, however, where regulatory agencies are working to pave the way for cell phone use on commercial aircrafts.
The Europeans have been testing their system for months. Charlie Pryor, a spokesman for OnAir, a mobile phone service sponsored by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, has stated that certification is currently being reviewed by the European Aviation Regulatory Authority and a decision is expected in a month. The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations is also working to coordinate some 44 European nations so they can allocate a radio spectrum process for mobile phone service providers.
Efforts by U.S. firms to provide in-flight phoning and Internet access for e-mail services and Web browsing have thus far been unsuccessful. Boeing dropped an ambitious effort after spending a reported $1 billion and Verizon Communications recently dropped its long-standing in-flight phoning. Commercial airline JetBlue and private group AirCell Incorporated have expressed interest in supplying in-flight connectivity, but their plans have been relatively dormant in recent months. One of the FCC's concerns is the potential for cell phones on airplanes to disrupt other radio communications. That should please the thousands of consumers who have sent messages to the FCC stating that they do not want cell phone service in airplanes or the annoying talking it could bring to flights.
News source: InformationWeek
The Europeans have been testing their system for months. Charlie Pryor, a spokesman for OnAir, a mobile phone service sponsored by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, has stated that certification is currently being reviewed by the European Aviation Regulatory Authority and a decision is expected in a month. The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations is also working to coordinate some 44 European nations so they can allocate a radio spectrum process for mobile phone service providers.
Efforts by U.S. firms to provide in-flight phoning and Internet access for e-mail services and Web browsing have thus far been unsuccessful. Boeing dropped an ambitious effort after spending a reported $1 billion and Verizon Communications recently dropped its long-standing in-flight phoning. Commercial airline JetBlue and private group AirCell Incorporated have expressed interest in supplying in-flight connectivity, but their plans have been relatively dormant in recent months. One of the FCC's concerns is the potential for cell phones on airplanes to disrupt other radio communications. That should please the thousands of consumers who have sent messages to the FCC stating that they do not want cell phone service in airplanes or the annoying talking it could bring to flights.
News source: InformationWeek
Yeah, people talking to people they know in public are most annoying. It's much easier to whisper or speak in audible voice to the person in the seat next to you, people tend to speak louder on cell phones because the signal quality or cell audio is poor.
I think you need to find out *WHY* they disallow it, and how many of the cell phone players lobby the FCC to stop people from using it on flights.
Clue: it has NOTHING to do with 'interference' and everythnig to do with how phones are tracked, the limitations of that technology, and the financial impact on those mobile phone businesses.
Actually, cellphones have been PROVEN to disrupt the navigational systems used on airplanes. They don't always cause problems but they have been known to in the past. What actually happens is they can cause the autopilot systems to go off of the set course without the pilot knowing it. Heck, all of my cellphones cause audible interference with just my stereo/tv equipment so I totally believe what they can do to other more sensitive equipment.
But you are correct in that cellphones actually don't work during flights simply because the phone can't connect to the current cell towers fast enough when your flying at 300+mph and are a lot farther from them some 30,000 feet in the air.
Last edited by QuarterSwede on 25 Mar 2007 - 18:08
Every bit of proper radio equipment carries a little sticker on the back with a FCC approval number. This ensures that the equipment complies with all the radiation, spurious emission, harmonic interference and all sorts of other things.
If equipments don't have FCC approval number then it is crap (or probably some counterfeit imported from China or manufactured by some crappy company). In EU it is illegal to use some equipment (like phones) which were not certified by FCC or local Communications Regulatory Authority. This makes sure that there is no interference between equipment (planes, phones, TVs, electric shavers …).
YES
Cellphone on a Plane
NO.
:-/
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