Keeping Passengers Connected with Mobile Service

Ofcom has approved the use of mobiles phones on planes flying in European airspace and as a result UK airlines will install small mobile phone base stations in their aircraft.

These airplane stations will connect mobile phones on board to lines on the ground via a satellite link. For many years airlines have offered customers the use of mobile phones built into the aircraft - usually in a headrest. Personal mobile phones have been prohibited as there have been concerns that their signals could interfere with aircraft systems.

With increased interest from airlines wanting to offer passengers the opportunity to use mobile phones in flight, the regulator started exploring the idea in October 2007. Based on feedback from the airlines and investigations, Ofcom has now amended the aircraft operators’ existing Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 licenses to allow the onboard mobile signals.

Regulations will require mobiles to be switched off during take-off and landing, but turned back on once a plane is above an altitude of 3,000m. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would need to approve any hardware installed in aircraft to ensure that it did not interfere with other flight systems.

Charges by airlines would be monitored by Ofcom for evidence of “excessive charges” for this service.

However, airlines that want to offer the services must still satisfy other regulators, which could take some time. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that airlines would need to develop operating procedures to ensure cabin crew were trained in the proper use of the systems and in the announcements they made regarding them.

Emirates Airlines has already jumped on board by installing technology to allow its passengers to make calls and send texts with their mobile phones. And the Dubai-based airline has fitted its Airbus A340 aircraft with a Aeromobile system which it claims stops mobile phones from interfering with a the plane’s electronics.

www.ofcom.org.uk