Disqus
The European Union has recently lifted a ban on making in-flight calls via cell phone, allowing companies like Emirates Air to launch service on their Dubai-London route, but US regulators are making the road much more difficult for others. The Hang Up Act which is going through the governmental machine right now is yet another hurdle folks like OnAir and AeroMobile will have to clear in order to making their services viable in America. Even once they’ve defeated that demon, the FCC and the FAA also have their own respective bans on in-flight cell calls which telephony providers would have to overcome before they can get started. It’s an uphill battle, and although it might be easy to root for ‘em, a future of airplanes full of people on cell phones could make those long flights feel just a little longer.
[via Washington Post]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
