Europe opens the door to in-flight phoning

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Europe opens the door to in-flight phoning
By Thomas Crampton International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, June 19, 2007

European regulators have cleared use of mobile phones and BlackBerry  
devices for passengers while flying, Airbus announced Tuesday.


Approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency means that, from  
September, passengers aboard Airbus aircraft outfitted with the OnAir  
system will be able to send and receive phone calls, SMS messages and  
e-mail messages while flying at altitudes above 3,000 meters, or  
9,840 feet.


Cabin staff members will be able to turn off the system or restrict  
usage to text services like SMS, as they see fit.


The first aircraft to go into operation with the system will probably  
be a short-haul Airbus A318 operated by Air France. The British  
airline BMI, the Portuguese airline TAP and the budget airline  
Ryanair have also signed up to offer the services, said Graham Lake,  
chief commercial officer of OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and  
SITA, a communications services company.


"We are absolutely delighted by this news," Lake said. "Passengers  
will soon be able to use their own phones while in a flying aircraft."


The cost of a call, however, might make for short conversations.


While OnAir does not set the fees, Lake said the expected cost would  
be around $2.50 per minute for calls and 50 cents per SMS message.


"Instead of roaming in a country, you are effectively roaming in the  
sky," Lake said. "We send your call via satellite down to the GSM  
network."


Call charges will appear on customer phone bills in an identical way  
to international roaming, with revenue shared between the airlines,  
OnAir and the customer's own phone company.


There will be no phone prices posted in the aircraft, however.  
"Similar to international roaming, it is perhaps never totally clear  
what the consumer's end price will be until the bill arrives," Lake  
said. "Passengers calling the same phone number from the same flight  
could pay very different amounts, depending on the contract they have  
with the cellphone service provider."


Approval to use mobile phones in aircraft contradicts draconian anti- 
telephone procedures often undertaken by cabin staff before takeoff.


In studying the use of mobile phones on aircraft, OnAir determined  
that somewhere between 10 percent and 25 percent of passengers and  
crew onboard aircraft leave their telephones turned on despite  
explicit warnings.


"If mobile telephones were unsafe on aircraft, we would have already  
had many incidents," Lake said. "Just listen to all the beeps of  
people receiving SMS messages as any aircraft approaches landing."


One of the biggest issues regarding the use of mobile phones on  
aircraft will be changing the habits of airline staff.


"The use of mobile phones is more a cultural than a safety issue,"  
Lake said. "In some countries that are very opposed to the use of  
mobile phones in flight, I think we will have trouble changing the  
habits of airline crew."


One argument that OnAir used to seek approval is that a mobile phone  
inadvertently left on by a passenger will increase the power output  
of its signal and potential to disrupt other radio frequencies when  
out of range of a network.


Mobile phones increase signal-searching output to one watt when  
looking for a network, compared with the one milliwatt level of a  
phone connected to the OnAir network.


The only restriction on the OnAir system is that it can  be used only  
above the altitude of 3,000 meters, which is attained roughly four  
minutes after takeoff and maintained until 10 minutes before landing.  
This restriction is  in part the result of  mobile phone operators'  
concerns about disruptions that can be caused when a single cellphone  
attempts to connect several land-based cellphone towers.


An issue of greater concern to many passengers will be elimination of  
what may be the last telephone-free environment on earth.


"We are certain that a cultural etiquette will develop on airlines as  
our system goes into operation," Lake said. "The underlying principle  
that airlines should adopt is encouraging respectful behavior."


Confrontations may arise, Lake added, because of the multicultural  
nature of aircraft.


"While some Mediterranean cultures find it polite to put your phone  
on the table during a meeting and answer when it rings, this is not  
done in the U.K.,"  Lake said. "The challenge inherent in aircraft is  
that they are by definition a place where cultures mix."


Airline staff will have control over the OnAir system, including the  
ability to limit incoming calls or only allow text-based  
communication, like SMS messages or BlackBerry service.


"The system is designed for cabin crew to act when there is  
inappropriate behavior on board," Lake said. "Most airlines will  
probably shut off the incoming calls during overnight longhaul flights."


For those who prefer to use their laptops, Lake said the system would  
offer highspeed WiFi throughout the aircraft at speeds similar to a  
home or office.


This is not the first time an onboard connectivity system has been  
offered. Boeing, Airbus's rival, recently shut down its Connexxion  
Internet service because of a lack of revenue and passenger interest.


Lake said the OnAir system had fundamental differences and a highly  
sustainable business model.


"The Connexxion system had to lease transponders whether they used  
them or not," Lake said. "Among other differences, we pay for what we  
use."



http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/19/business/mobile.php


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