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EU To Allow 3G and 4G Connections On Planes
jfruh writes "In America we're celebrating the fact that we don't have to stow our Kindles during takeoff and landing anymore, but the EU is going a step further and not requiring passengers to switch their phones to "airplane" mode anymore. If you're on an airplane with a Network Control Unit that regulate cellular connections, you can text and make calls over standard 3G and 4G networks. You'll want to watch out for roaming charges, though, especially if you're on a flight crossing national borders."
One word:
Roaming.
As long as that is no settled, nobody in his right mind will use it if sending a selfie costs 3-5€ depending on your camera.
No phone calls on planes here in the US. Please.
"You'll want to watch out for roaming charges, though, especially if you're on a flight crossing national borders."
I don't know where this comes form but carriers will have to install jammmers to disable communication with ground towers. They'll need their own station inside the aircraft which in turn connects via sattelite. So you'll likely pay the fee the aircraft carrier decides on.
Between the long lines at security, stress, and being fondled and stripped before entry, the only nice thing that was left about flying was the lack of self-important people yakking on their phones throughout the flight... until now.
(hopefully the roaming charges will make absolutely sure nobody does voice calling, but that will depend on how much they charge).
Yeah I've been using my phone during take off and landing my ENTIRE life. I hide the electronic and the second the flight attendants sit down the device comes back out. I'm listening to music. What's the point of of all this hubbub? I can't even get a signal and if I leave my phone on. It will keep trying to find a signal and will run itself out of battery faster.
Another question that baffles me, how were the people on the 9/11 flights able to use their cell phones during flight? Yeah they have the in seat phones, but i still remember hearing people say, "Yeah they used their phones!" Fun fact that everyone seems to forget.
I honestly thought that one of the reason why they have the no electronics during take off and landing was to ensure that people are paying attention to what's going on in case of emergencies.
Hell I've had stewardesses ask me (very nicely) to put away a physical textbook I was reading.
But yeah, please keep the ban on cell phone use for making calls, in fact ban any type of audio conferencing. Last thing I want is an obnoxious asshole blabbing away really loudly next to me.
Having worked for a provider of these services, I can tell you that telephone calls are usually very, very short due to cabin noise and connection charges. But SMS and Data have always been a bigger draw. I see this as a win as hopefully this will nudge the FCC/FAA to become more symmetrical in the rules between the US and Europe.
The real question is what will be the cost model for UMTS/LTE vs In-Cabin WiFi as each has a entirely different set of data protocols and are routed differently once they reach the ground network.
boom goes the dynamite....
On old school 800mhz AMPS cell phones and at lower altitude this may be true. But today most cell towers are pointed at the ground hence why you don't get a carrier signal until you're approaching/leaving the runway. What happens today is that cell phones just burn power as the phone goes to full power trying to connect. Think of how many people leave their phones on in the luggage or pocket while flying. If a phone can bring down an airplane, don't you think you'd see mobile phone jails prior to boarding?
These systems work on the premise of noise generators that blot out the external signals and a new carrier is presented just above the noise level that commands mobile phones to idle their transmitters down. In fact, one might say this causes *less* interference as you don't have a bunch of phones blasting away RF energy inside the cabin.
boom goes the dynamite....
Sat next to a guy once who taught jet pilots for a living. He had an awesome flight tracker running on his laptop.
Apparently rules against phones being on during flight isn't an FAA thing, it's an FCC thing. You pass from cell tower to cell tower so fast it confuses and stresses the system.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
This is very misleading.
This is not about regulations. You can't just use your phone on any flight and connect directly to the ground. You'll never be allowed to do that, for technical reasons.
This is about planes with onboard cell towers, which are rare, although RyanAir offered this starting 2009. So the EU has allowed it for quite a while. Nothing new here.
Also, roaming doesn't change when you cross borders, because you're not roaming on any one country's network. You're roaming on the airline's network, just like on a cruise ship. So borders are irrelevant.
Test flights of this technology have been conducted in the U.S., so the FCC and FAA are theoretically open to it.
We already have the ability to make calls via VoIP, Facetime, etc. Anything internet based. The vast majority of mainline domestic planes have internet and do not restrict most voice protocols. The only saving grace has been internet became so popular on planes that services like GoGo quickly ran into bandwidth and latency issues (Most planes share a single 3G gateway). That will change as upgrades happen.
There are two reasons you have to switch of your electronic devices during takeoff/landing: first, the electronic interference, which is not considered a problem anymore these days. The second, more unknown, reason is that they do not want you to listen to music so that you can hear the safety announcements. I am not talking about the usual 'live-vest is stored under your seat' story that everyone has heard 100 times, but instructions to evacuate in case of real emergencies. Since these emergencies happen mostly during the first and last few minutes of a flight, they want you to pay full attention. Source: close friend is instructor for flight crews.
karma police: arrest this man, he talks in maths; he buzzes like a fridge, he's like a detuned radio. [radiohead]
I wouldn't say that. I'm sure the companies who already provide WiFi services let alone the history of AirFone and other hardware manufacturers have lobbied the US for years. The difference is that the EU use common sense while the FAA are mainly run by luddites stuck in the 1950's.
Think of how long it has taken to get GPS based ILS put in place and approved even tho the practices and technologies have been around for decades.
boom goes the dynamite....
There are roaming cost limits in Europe. This means a maximum of 0.09 EUR per SMS. Not sure what the limits are for national calls, nor what it is for data, but the limits are reasonable within Europe.
I wonder if they will make exceptions depending on destination or if they find another way to add some extra cost to it.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
...WITH BETTER RECEPTION!
*Sound of a cabin door being opened*
I recently took a flight in Europe. A person looking at his Kindle was asked to turn it off. I had my earphones in and plugged in to my Android and to me they said nothing. Some random sort of profiling I think. I leave my phone o silent and low light display. That way it will not show up that easy.
Although I hope calls will be prohibited, as I would hate to sit to somebody chatting the whole time, I would not mind if people SMS, chat or Faceboob the whole flight.
I just hope that there are more ways to charge your stuff. I have seen advertisers already making the possibility to charge your stuff available at airports.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I just hope that there are more ways to charge your stuff. I have seen advertisers already making the possibility to charge your stuff available at airports.
The last time I went on a nice, new plane (one of BA's Airbuses, I think) there were USB ports in the entertainment thing. The idea was apparently to look at your holiday snaps, but it charged my phone just fine :)
(This was about a year ago, so it's probably a bit more widespread -- I haven't taken a flight over ~3 hours on a quality airline since then.)
In America we're celebrating the fact that we don't have to stow our Kindles during takeoff and landing anymore, but the EU is going a step further and not requiring passengers to switch their phones to "airplane" mode anymore.
You'll still need to switch to airplane mode during take-off and landing: "For safety reasons, these services are only available at altitudes above 3,000 meters, the Commission added."
You'll want to watch out for roaming charges, though, especially if you're on a flight crossing national borders.
You won't be connecting to ground networks. You'll be connecting to the plane's onboard network - you may well be charged at "roaming" rates but "crossing national borders" will have nothing to do with it.
From the article:
Aircraft offering the service have a Network Control Unit on board that works like a jammer that prevents mobile devices from connecting to and interfering with ground-based systems. They ensure they connect only to an Aircraft Base Station, which is the antenna to which mobile devices connect and runs as a cable through the cabin, it added.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.