A proposal for cellphone use and other mobile communication on ai...
A proposal for cellphone use and other mobile communication on aircraft was set out Thursday by U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom, in cooperation with other European Union members. If approved, the measures for cellphone use on flights would be at…
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the discretion of U.K.-registered airlines -- and would cover all European airspace, Ofcom said. Its proposed system includes an on- board base station that connects to passengers’ own mobile handsets. Both of these must be switched off during take- off and landing to eliminate interference with other terrestrial mobile networks, Ofcom said. But once the aircraft reaches a minimum altitude of 10,000 feet, the system may be switched on by the cabin crew. Mobile handsets then will be able to use the aircraft’s base station to make and receive calls. Those will be routed via a satellite link to a ground-based network. Calls will be billed through passengers’ normal service providers, Ofcom said. At first, the service will be limited to GSM-2 devices for data, voice and text services. If successful, it could be extended to 3G and future mobile telephony standards, Ofcom said. The earliest that services could be available from U.K. registered airlines is 2008, subject to approval by the aviation authorities.