Disqus
Following on from my post last week, I am again disconnected, this time aboard a plane! Fortunately in this instance I am in business class (all very nice…!), so the environment is pretty good – but still there’s no connectivity of any kind!
So that is no GSM/3G/WiFi resident on board the plane, and (supposedly) with good reason – after all, we are told that it’s very dangerous for wireless devices to be on, especially during take-off and landing. The reality is that many people leave their GSM/3G mobile devices on, and likewise Bluetooth/WiFi radios enabled too.
The argument for these devices being turned off is moot as far as I am concerned, but that still doesn’t get us any closer to having some form of coverage in-flight. Of course numbers of carriers are trialling systems for both voice and data access – but nothing is widely rolled out as yet.
I’m travelling on business, and it’s an obvious inconvenience not to have coverage – flying is one of the last few bastions of disconnection in an otherwise uber-connected wireless age.
From a personal perspective it would certainly be useful to have the option of data access, as fortunately/unfortunately all of my work comes in via email – it’s scary to say, but really these days in many jobs, constant connectivity to your inbox is needed to do your job …
But what are your views on allowing voice/text/data on-board planes? Do you think it should be enabled, or would the all-to-familiar-beep of a text coming in drive you to ultimate distraction? We want to hear from you!
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
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