WirelessCabin: Use Your Mobile Phone on Airplanes

Posted by michael on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @06:41AM from the e.t.-phone-home dept.

securitas writes "What if didn't have to turn off your mobile phone when you travel by air? eWEEK's Matthew Broersma reports on a European Commission project to enable mobile phone use on airplanes. The technology works by creating short-range 'picocells' that force transmission output power to drop to 1/1000th of normal, reducing electronic interference, then using a satellite uplink. The WirelessCabin project members include the German Aerospace Centre, Siemens, Ericsson and Airbus. Initial trials will use 'GSM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections' but will add CDMA and 3G standards. WirelessCabin is already making a picocell with CDMA2000. The first demonstrations are scheduled for this summer on Lufthansa long-haul flights with the A340-600 jet."

1 of 296 comments (clear)

9-11 by starman71taylor · 2004-04-20 07:09 · Score: 0, Troll

Well hmmm, I believe you what I find interesting though is that's what we are all supposed to believe about people in planes on 9-11. That they made CELL PHONE calls to family and friends... Of course that seems and probably is impossible. On another note, how would CNN or news agency have gotten info on those "calls" so quickly? Any ideas Slashdoters?