Mobile Phones on planes

[SeaWolf]

So, as a lot of you have probably heard, one of the last place you simply can't use a mobile phone on is looking set to disappear:
Qantas to trial in-flight mobile phone use. 18/04/2007. ABC News Online
About Qantas - Newsroom

No calls yet, just SMS and email, but if it works out then I'm sure they'll start allowing calls as well. Guess it was inevitable, but now it won't just be the bus and train with too loud callers sharing their personal conversations with others.

There's no mention of surcharges though, which came as a surprise for me, I always thought one of the major reasons the airlines had held off on phones in flight was so they could figure out a way to charge extra for it.

[serfty]

It will only be available as premium messaging serves via "international roaming".

So you can expect to pay a premium price.

[simongr]

In the US the FCC have confirmed that they will not allow mobile use on planes. There is a thread here somewhere about that and there is also a thread on Emirates plans to introduce allowing phones on flights.

I personally would love sms and email (via blackberry) on flights - if i want peace I can turn them off. I understand other people's reluctance for phones on planes. I have other refuges from phones - on my bike cycling, walking the dogs, in bed and I spend more time doing all of those than flying.

S

[serfty]

I saw an article posted recently that detailed the QF service.

One of the interesting things is that the aircraft will have several 'Jammers' installed through the cabin(s) to prevent any commication with Oz based ground stations; thus preventing voice calls or 'cheap' SMS.

[SeaWolf]

That is weird, I would have thought they could have just changed a setting in the base station to tell it to reject any attempt at a voice call.

[serfty]

I've edited my post; the jammers actually prevent all ground station communications.

I'll try to find the information I saw ....

[simongr]

I wonder if the "installation of jammers" is just a convenient way of calming the fears of some PAX that they will be surrounded by phone calls and in fact the jammers are a complex technology that marketing doesnt understand (lack of actual understanding of how the technology works demonstrated below):

Marketing: So how will we stop people making calls
IT: Well we will set the base station on the aircraft to route all traffic through a series of ports that verify whether the type of traffic is voice or data.
M: Wait - there is going to be a base station on the plane? Is that like one of those aerials they they disguise as trees? People dont like those and dont they cause radiation?
IT: No it a lot smaller
M: But it still cause radiation and wont this routing casue delays - the premium pax wont like that either
IT: It will be quick to verify
M: But someone is checking each message. Doesnt that violate rivacy rules (unlike our spam emails of course)
IT: Ok change of plan we will install jammers on the planes - you know like they have on some trains
M: You see that's what I thought we should use in teh first place....

[NM]

It will only be available as premium messaging serves via "international roaming".

So you can expect to pay a premium price.

According to a CASA representative who was interviewed on ABC Radio (Brisbane) yesterday, the satellite ground station for this service is in Norway. So that certainly we involve premium charges to communicate with someone who may be 10km away (well, 10km below you).

[serfty]

... I'll try to find the information I saw ....

Here's the information posted on Flyer Talk: Qantas keeps it head low in the news lately

Qantas are one step further to the mobile phone trial reported last year - one of the regulatory bodies has approved the trial.

From the Australian Communications and Media Authority:

MR 37/2007
18 April 2007
Final stage in place to allow a limited evaluation of mobile telephone services on board a commercial aircraft

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has enabled a limited evaluation of GSM mobile phones and GPRS devices on a commercial aircraft.

The evaluation – which is limited to one aircraft for up to 12 months - will be conducted by Qantas. It will be one of the first implementations of this kind of service in the world.

‘The granting of permissions for the evaluation service is the culmination of many months of work aimed at facilitating an industry need,' said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘The application to conduct the evaluation touched on a number of ACMA's responsibilities in the radiocommunications and telecommunications regulatory areas.'

To clear the way for the evaluation, ACMA has granted various approvals and exemptions including a carrier licence and a scientific assigned apparatus licence for a network control unit (see backgrounder), and two Nominated Carrier Declarations.

The evaluation will be conducted on one Qantas passenger aircraft operating only on domestic Australian routes. Qantas has decided to commence the evaluation with email and text only, disabling voice services. ACMA and other government bodies will consider the potential for permanent regulatory arrangements for the service once the results of the evaluation are known.

Media contact: Donald Robertson, ACMA Media Manager, on (02) 9334 7980.
Backgrounder
What is the network control unit?

A network control unit (NCU) is a device designed to facilitate on-board mobile phone communications, by passengers, in the 1.8 GHz band under a roaming agreement with the mobile phone user's normal carrier. Part of the NCU blocks access to terrestrially-based radiocommunications in the frequency bands 870 – 960 MHz or 825 – 845 MHz (the 900MHz band). The system consists of pico-cells on-board aircraft, connected by satellite link to a ground GSM/GPRS switching system. The airborne part of the system is connected to the terrestrial part by the aircraft's satellite system.

The NCU transmits a background radio noise signal inside the aircraft when the aircraft reaches an altitude of 6000 metres.

The NCU is intended to offer services comparable to existing mobile phone services, including:

* full duplex voice and text messaging support for GSM phones capable of operating within the 1800 MHz / 1900MHz GSM frequency band; and
* GPRS (general packet radio service) and related services i.e. MMS, EMS , picture messaging and email (when using Swift 64 or a broadband IP SATCOM). GPRS is a wireless data service, based on internet protocols that is available with almost every GSM network.

The system will also allow a service level control by the Crew Control Panel which is intended to give the cabin crew the ability to vary the service level on-board the aircraft should aircraft operation requirements dictate. This is proposed to include, but not be limited to:

* the ability to disable voice service allowing text-only capabilities
* complete disabling of the system while still managing phones that may be switched on
* showing the number of attached phones, and
* splitting VIP/crew and passenger services.

(end)

[simongr]

splitting VIP/crew and passenger services

So premium pax might be able to do everything