The mad panic to retrieve your still switched on mobile from the deepest darkest depths of your bottomless carry on suitcase, moments before take off might soon be a thing of the past.
Ofcom (the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the UK) has given approval for the use of mobile phones on UK registered commercial aircraft within European airspace. Basically that means that, in-flight mobile use on participating airlines will be allowed, albeit once the plane has reached an altitude of 3000 feet.
It isn’t quite a done deal yet, The European Aviation Safety Agency still needs to approve any necessary hardware but the indication from Ofcom is that this won’t be a big issue. What might be an issue is cost as the tech involved will require the calls to be routed via satellite link which will innevitably drive prices skyward (geddit, skyward?). Ofcom has stated however that it will be doing what it can to regulate “excessive charges and abuses of competition”.
In flight calling will only work with second generation networks to begin with but in the presence of growing interest, Ofcom believes that 3G services could well follow later. Could we be whiling away our flight time by skipping through endless YouTube videos on our handset’s before the decade is out? Here’s hoping.
(Via BBC)
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