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Mobile phone use to be allowed on planes in EU

The European Commission introduced new rules yesterday to allow mobile phones to be used on planes via an onboard network.

Under the new system, air travelers will be able to receive and make calls and messages safely with their own mobile phones while flying all over Europe, the EU’s executive arm said.

However a commission spokesman stressed that the in-flight service was not yet generally available and so passengers should heed the advice of flight crews to switch off phones while in the air.

Spokesman Martin Selmayr said that the 27 EU member states have six months to comply with the new rules.

At the moment that luxury is limited to a very few travelers for fear of interfering with the aircraft’s functioning. Some airlines, notably Air France, have begun tests on the system.

“In-flight mobile phone services can be a very interesting new service, especially for those business travelers who need to be ready to communicate wherever they are, wherever they go,” EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said in a statement. “However, if consumers receive shock phone bills, the service will not take-off. I also call on airlines and operators to create the right conditions on board aircraft to ensure that those who want to use in-flight communication services do not disturb other passengers.”

Selmayr, Reding’s chief spokesman, said on-board calls would be “a little more expensive” than those on the ground because the planes would need to install their own in-flight mobile phone network.

He told reporters in Brussels, however, the competitive market place should take care of the price of calls.

“The commission will not interfere with this in the beginning, but we will keep a close eye on it,” he said.

Selmayr, asked about the possibility of a plane full of people all chattering away in-flight, said it would also be up to the airlines to decide how the system is used.

Some airlines are considering only allowing text messages to be sent and received via mobile phones, while others may ask passengers to keep their phones on silent mode so that they do not ring.

Selmayr said that safety concerns would be addressed by not allowing phones to be used until planes are at least 915m up in the air.

He also stressed that flight captains would be able to switch off the on-board service if they felt it necessary.

The measures announced by the commission will harmonize the technical and licensing requirements for using mobile phones on board aircraft.

Under the system, passengers’ phones would be linked to an onboard cellular network connected to the ground via satellite.

The system will at the same time prevent phones from connecting directly to mobile networks on the ground below, thereby ensuring that transmission powers are kept low enough for mobile phones to be used without affecting the safety of aircraft or the terrestrial mobile networks.

Harmonizing the technical requirements for the safe in-flight use of mobile phones will enable the national licenses granted to individual airlines by a member state to be recognized throughout the EU, the commission said.

Therefore an aircraft registered in France or Spain will be able to offer mobile communications to passengers when flying over Germany or Hungary without any additional licensing procedures.
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