Widespread use of mobile phones on passenger aircraft moved a step closer following a ruling by communications regulator Ofcom. It said radio equipment for mobile communications on aircraft (MCA) would be licensed under the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act and that licenses would be issued to UK aircraft operators on request. But Ofcom added that EU regulators would have to approve any system as would the European Aviation Safety Agency and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Of course, this is a very contentious issue – my thoughts lie with the policing of it though – surely the technical implications (i.e. does it affect the plane’s systems) are relatively easy to define and reach conclusion on – but what about getting people to follow the strictures?
I would imagine that people won’t be able to call during take-off or landing, and what about how loud they are talking? There are already numerous potential issues around passengers who are behaving inappropriately, but can you imagine trying to get a businessmen who is talking at 200 db on his Blackberry to end the call? Good luck with that one!
Ofcom is also bearing consideration to the cost of such services – since any service will probably need to bounce calls off a satellite, it isn’t going to be cheap – as existing in-flight wired phone services have proven.
For right now, I would say watch this space – calls on flights are pretty much inevitable (there is so much untapped revenue to be made for starters), but how this plays out is going to be very interesting…
[Via: The Press Association/Google]