Business
Cellphone Use On Planes Coming Soon
Passengers could soon be using their mobile phones on planes flying through European airspace.
Plans have been developed across EU countries to introduce technology which permits mobile calls without risk of interference with aircraft systems.
Regulators around Europe are calling for consultation on the potential introduction of the technology.
The European Union has recommended to member states that the plan go ahead and space on the airwaves has been reserved for the technology.
The cost of making a mobile phone call from a plane will be higher than making one from the ground. In the UK, regulator Ofcom said it would investigate and address any evidence of “excessive charges and abuses of competition” if prices were set unfairly by airlines and mobile networks.
The proposed system utilizes an on-board base station in the plane which communicates with passengers’ own handsets. The base station - called a pico cell - is low power and creates a network area big enough to encompass the cabin of the plane.
The base station routes phone traffic to a satellite, which is in turn connected to mobile networks on the ground.
