Phones and data in the cabin at last!

[FOZ]

AIRBUS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES FIRST MOBILE-TELEPHONE FLIGHT TRIAL AND MULTIPLE WIRELESS-CABIN TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION
SEPTEMBER 15, 2004




Airbus has successfully completed the first in-flight trial of GSM personal mobile- telephones aboard an airliner, paving the way for their future widespread use. The trial, which took place aboard an Airbus A320 flight-test aircraft flying from, and back to, Toulouse, is part of an ongoing technical development project to provide an in-flight mobile telephony service to airline passengers.


In addition to tests for measurement purposes, functional tests were performed in which several different GSM telephones were used simultaneously for both voice communications and text messaging. The trials demonstrated successful communications to and from personal mobile telephones onboard to mobile and fixed telephones on the ground, and to another mobile telephone aboard.


The prototype equipment and software used in the trials were developed by Airbus supported by the telecommunication specialist Icarelink. The signals from the mobile telephone went first to a “picocell” inside the aircraft, next to a computer server that routed them through the Globalstar satellite communications network to the ground, and finally to ground-based telephone networks.


The tests are a major milestone in the offering by Airbus of personal mobile telephones aboard commercial aircraft from 2006. A key objective of Airbus is to provide passenger connectivity at affordable prices. This will mean implementation of affordable technologies, as well as cost-effective, flexible and personalised services for passengers in line with current international mobile-telephone charges.


Additionally, Airbus has successfully completed flight-trials of multiple simultaneous wireless technologies on board an A340-600. The trials culminated a two-year research programme by the Wireless Cabin consortium, led by the German Aerospace Centre DLR and supported by the European Commission.


They used technologies based upon emerging standards - GSM/UMTS for mobile telephony, wi-fi (IEEE 802.11) and Bluetooth for mobile computing services. Inmarsat SWIFT64 was the satellite link to the ground.


GSM service, web browsing, email, and virtual private network (VPN) were all flight tested. Intranet from onboard servers was also demonstrated, as were personal digital assistants (PDAs) for crew use. In addition wireless telemedicine, including a simulated emergency, demonstrated priority communication over other services.


When personal mobile telephones are implemented in Airbus aircraft in 2006, they will complement the email and SMS messaging that is already offered. The technologies demonstrated by the Wireless Cabin research are a further step, and will be considered for incorporation in commercial aircraft as they become mature and affordable. Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.

[BEagle]

Any airline which allows passengers to yap away for hours on their spivphone will probably drive its other passengers away. The only solution would be to provide privacy booths for voice calls - it's bad enough on trains, but imagine sitting next to someone having a spivphone argument for the whole flight... :mad:

Shall be writing to the airline I normally use pointing out that permitting personal cellphone use in normal passnger areas would be a significantly negative marketing incentive.

[Cyrano]

"Hello...yeah, I'M ON A PLANE...hello...hello...sorry, lost you there for a minute, must have gone through a tunnel, ha ha..."

With you 100%, BEagle. I can only hope that (a) the pricing will be dissuasive for all but urgent calls, and (b) the airlines who install these systems will also provide active-noise-cancellation headsets with their IFE to drown out the worst of the bloke in 7C discussing his next deal at high volume.

Right, that's my curmudgeonly dose for the morning... ;)

C.

[amanoffewwords]

While they're at it, they might as well bring back smoking :rolleyes:

[eal401]

I hope mobile charges are priced appropriately.

From £1,000,000 a second would be a good start.

[JamesT73J]

Does this mean the last oasis from this irritating social trend is going to vanish?

It's going to need careful consideration. Unlike trains, in a passenger cabin you are forced into much closer proximity with other people, and I think the quiet, relaxed atmosphere does much to calm the nerves. People nattering away having - lets be honest here - pointless conversations could be terribly irritating.

[Basil]

Agree with BEagle - one of the last bastions about to fall :*
V occnl amusing - eg caller having row with partner etc :D

[tyro]

So now an airline has figured out how to make money out of mobile phones, they are perfectly safe to use on planes after all.

[Rupert S]

Quite agree. As if being seated to the left, right and behind screaming babies isn't enough, are we really going to be expected to endure the constant banter of mobile chat on our flights?
This technology is good but if the airlines don't limit its use to text messages and internet access I think they're just going to lose business.

[chippy63]

eal,
excellent idea, a realy swingeing charge, of which 95% shall be payable to the phone users' neighbours!

[You splitter]

Quite agree that we should keep mobiles off aircraft but coming from a differant angle. As one of those annoying people that seem to always have the phone glued to my ear (work stuff not personel arguments of course) the best thing about flying is that you have no choice but to turn the thing off. Arhh peace for a change. And guess what. When you land, and reluctantly turn it back on again, the world has survived without you!!! :ok:

[colossus]

Apart from the fact that I like many business travellers enjoy the freedom that being incommunicado brings, like time out to think and do what I want, like read a book, perhaps talk to your fellow passengers, or the crew, or catch up on some work without bombardment of phone calls, and e-mails, I see another very real issue.

When some carriers do permit use of mobiles, and others don’t, the I know best brigade will start making life difficult for cabin crew with rants of “ I’ve just got off a flight with your competitor airline, and they allowed me to use my mobile, so why can’t I use it now.”

Recipe for more air rage incidents. Socially a retrograde step

[Rwy in Sight]

I would like to add my desire to keep aircraft as a mobile free zone. And even more, the rates of 1 million GBP per second seem too low, and yes some recompensation for unluck neighhbours seen in order.

I sincerely hope that this project ends as soon as possible. In any case I would rather have smoking back rather than personal mobile service.

Rwy in Sight.

PS. For those that need to have a constant connection may I suggest the use of a private charter.

[The Otter's Pocket]

There are telephones already on flights.
They do generally keep the idiots off them as the phones require a credit card.
I suppose that this new system would allow incomming calls.
Maybe there should be an idiot class, lower than economy for t*ats with ringtone and Sms Alert Syndrome. (SAS). Those people that are blissfully unaware that their phones piss people off.

However a Wi-fi system on an aircraft would be a good system and I am sure that I would find it beneficial.

Rgds

TOP

[FOZ]

Everyone seems to forget that handsets are built into the armrests of many long haul a/c already, and so phones in the cabins will not be new, just a different method. The charge will certainly be the regulator of use!

On the amusing side (or not), when the local network at the destination takes over, there will be up to 550 phones all beeping at the same time receiving the welcome message text from the new network!

If you want your own personal privacy, you could always keep your phone switched off. Interesting that someone mentioned smoking in an earlier post as I suspect the airlines attitude to noise might be to create phone and non phone zones in an aircraft.

Time will tell.

[MarkD]

I suspect the picocell will attract the phone's attention (rather than loudly broadcasting for other networks). Thus the only network the phone will find is the one provided by the airline. This is unless the user keeps selecting manual scan.

Am thinking if you could come up with pay as you go system for this it could save a lot of weight if you could go without handsets in all seats.

I agree you should only be able to talk in a booth but it's fair enough to allow Blackberries ("Crackberries") and other GSM capable text usages as long as alert sounds are not disruptive.

[Pax Vobiscum]

I can't deduce from the press releases whether this is for outbound calls only or will accept incoming as well. Inmarsat rates are over $2 per minute, so if you leave your phone on accidentally, you could run up a large bill! I guess you'd have to enable some special type of roaming agreement to use this service - anyone know for sure?

One further query, if the 'picocell' on board runs out of capacity (or simply fails), won't phones automatically try to contact another cell (on the ground) causing potential interference problems (both on board and on the terrestrial network)?

[FOZ]

Pax Vobiscum,
I believe that inbound calls will be allowed, and at $2-00 per minute, it would be equivalent to the top end international roaming costs, though I'm sure market forces will have an effect.

On the point regarding congestion / cell failure, all these possibilities were tested and the mobile phones did not present any problems at any time. If the picocell failed, a digital mobile phone is too distant from any ground cell to log on and the metal body of the plane would severely attenuate any signal. Most ground antennae do not radiate much above horizontal.

[Firestorm]

Amazing advances in technology. I wouuld expect there will be zones in the cabin for phoners and non-phoners (and possibly a premium on the seat prices as well).

But, my question is this: will the pilots still use HF and VHF simplex frequencies? Let's face it, the two people who most need to have clear and effective external communication during the flight are still using bean cans and string. But aviation is very cost driven....

[El Grifo]

I read recently of a battery powered pocket device which immobilised "spivphones" up to a 30m radius.

I have been unable to source the original information.

I would love to here more about this, anyone any ideas?

[Snoopy]

Is this what you were looking for?

Cellphone jammer (http://www.netline.co.il/LP.htm)

I personally am dreading the use of cellphones on planes. Even now there are some that yack until the plane starts moving and yack as soon as the wheels hit the ground. It's a real nuisance...

[JamesT73J]

I recall reading that it's a source of genuine frustration for pilots that even now the people in the cabin have access to far better voice communication technology than they do.

It'd be nice to think some of these benefits could be put to use in the flightdeck.

[BEagle]

When someone starts yapping away on their spivphone in a train, the best trick is to stop reading, gazing out of the window or whatever, get their eye contact and pretend that you are listening intently to their conversation. The odd nod, raised eyebrow and "Really" "Hmmm" or other comment will soon begin to put them off their yack with Simon in Sales or whoever their crucially important call is with....:E

Use some manners, spivphone yappers - switch the phone to silent message mode in public transport or make your call from the end of the carriage. Same goes for aeroplanes when this picocell system is installed - hopefully to use it for incoming calls or outgoing calls will require a substantial registration fee and high call charges to minimise disturbance to other passengers.

[El Grifo]

Thanks Snoop.

That looks like the very fellow for me. I have a deep dislike of mobile phones and a great disrespect for clients who insist on leaving them switched on during meetings.

Most of my work briefs now come in 3 minute sound packages interspersed with the ringtone and subsequent half of a conversation from a ruddy mobile. As a result, meetings take twice as long and I am never really sure if I am getting the full picture.

Apart from being frustrating, it is also downright rude.

The prospect of being stuck next to a "Mobile Muppet" on a flight simply makes me cringe.

Must try Beagle's method method next time I am stuck in restaurant with one of these monkeys.

[Load Toad]

Have I got this straight?

A 'plane manufacturer has spent vast sums of money so that airline passengers can suffer intense irritation on flights?






Great. Thanks. Realy needed that.