Mobile Phone Usage and Absence of Calls
We seem to be generally agreed that voice calls can be made below 8000 feet and texts sent or received at anything up to 35,000 feet.
Given that MH370 did not have a limitless supply of fuel, at some point it must have descended through 8000 feet at which point crew or passengers would have been able to make calls or send texts. The latest inmarsat information puts the extremes of possible range either over Khazakstan to the north or the Pacific Ocean west of Oz to the South. If it flew north, by the time it started descending, the flight time would be over that expected by most passengers and you would expect a rush of concerned mobile phone calls or texts on the morning of Saturday 8th. At least some of these attempts are likely to have made it to a cell somewhere on the ground.
Even if the cell data was being withheld, at least one friend or relative of those on board would have reported the contact by now. Which makes me think that either the plane flew south and ditched in the sea or if it did fly north, the crew and passengers were either dead or unconscious due to 5+ hours in the death zone.
Just a thought