In-flight mobile calls coming soon?

Since their inception, cell phones have been banned while traveling via airplane. The reason given: the airlines are afraid that the signal used by a cell phone would interfere with the plane’s computers, thereby making the flight less safe. A new technological development, now being tested in Europe, could change all that. Rynair, a British airline, is currently testing a device that render phone calls safe from distances above 10,000 feet, which is the time that all electronic devices are allowed for use in flight.

The real problem with in-flight calling, at least prior to this innovation, was that the signal sent out by the phone was far too strong. The further a device is from a tower, the more power it must emit in order to communicate with said tower. This signal was said to be strong enough to disrupt flight equipment. The new technology, however, remotely amplifies the signal. This means less power used by mobile devices.

This doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily good to be yakking on your phone in-flight. It’s a distraction and nuisance to everyone around you. We frequently travel by bus, and there is always a sign on-board that advises riders to not use their phones, or the bus driver will not continue his route. Why do they do this? Well, if you’ve sat in front of someone talking on the phone, you know. It’s a confined space, and the last thing you want to do is hear someone else’s yapping.

This problem becomes worse on a flight, which usually last far longer than a bus ride. Some people like to read; others like to relax; but no one on the flight wants to hear you talk to dear ol’ Aunt Sally, to your husband or wife, or to a business partner.

Business people, of course, are attracted to the notion of in-flight phone conversations, since it will be one more thing the can get done while flying. Then again, since they are incommunicado on the plane, it can be viewed as a short rest. Having in-flight cell service would negate that break, meaning businesspeople will have to work even longer hours, all considered.

It won’t be cheap, either. In the European trials, they’re saying that calls will probably be billed at a roaming rate, which means double or even triple your normal rate. Expensive and inconvenient. We’re trying to see where this works.

Really, though, it’s inevitable. We’re with the Daily Telegraph in their campaign to keep phones off planes, “which many regard as the last sanctuary of peace and quiet.”

[Daily Telegraph]

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