AIRBORNE MOBILES are about to hit the European scene but whether, like the smoking section of old, they will be banished to the back of the aircraft nobody knows. bmi and TAP Air Portugal are both to offer OnAir's voice and text service for cell phones in separate three-month trial runs. This will be the first time that passengers will have been allowed to actually use their own mobile phone on an aircraft airborne. Users of mobile phones and other handheld wireless devices with roaming capability will be able to make and receive calls using a base station within the aircraft. They will be allowed to turn their phones on after the plane reaches 10,000 feet, when other electronic devices such as portable music players and laptops are permitted. Mobile phones are banned on existing aircraft for fear that they might interfere with a ”plane's navigation system as they attempt to log on to terrestrial networks. OnAir's mobile communications system is based within the plane, which it says ensures that cell phones and other devices operate at lower transmission power and thus avoid affecting avionics. The company hopes to clear all regulatory hurdles for air traffic within Europe at some point next year. The planned surcharge will be at international roaming rates, around $2.30-$2.50 per minute. A text message should cost about 50 cents to send or receive.
http://tenzing.com
http://www.tap.pt
http://www.flybmi.com