News Project to Enable Mobile Phone Use on Planes

"HELLO!?? YEAH, I'M ON THE PLANE. NAH, IT'S RUBBISH....."

This from eWeek:

In one of the first major projects of its kind, a European Commission-funded consortium is preparing to trial a system designed to allow mobile phone use inside a passenger aircraft.

Unlike Boeing's data-based Connexion system, which airlines in Germany, Scandinavia and Asia are in the process of rolling out, the technology developed by WirelessCabin allows the use of standard mobile phones as well as wireless data devices. WirelessCabin is planning to run a demonstration of the system this summer, using a long-haul A340-600 aircraft, and said planes could be outfitted as soon as this year.

WirelessCabin is one of several initiatives bringing data connectivity to public places, spurred by the growing ubiquity of wireless-equipped laptops and PDAs. Public hotspots are making Wi-Fi available in coffee shops, airport lounges, McDonald's restaurants and European rail networks. Airbus-backed Tenzing Communications makes a slower on-board data system. Some industry observers are skeptical that hotspots can be profitable, but airplanes—with their captive population desperate for diversions—may be an exception.

Full story here