Finally Mobile Phones Will Be Used On Aircraft.
 

This is one of my favourite subjects. ;)

While I would not particularly want to be in the cabin with 200 people all using mobile phones at once :rolleyes: I have never believed that they are actually a danger to the modern Aircraft. :sad:

Now confirmation from Siemens. :ok:


Mobile phones @ 30,000 feet?

Siemens

SATURDAY, APRIL 03, 2004


Contrary to popular belief, mobile phones do not pose a safety threat to airliners. On an average transatlantic flight, several phones are usually left switched on by accident, and the avionics systems on modern aircraft are hardened against radio interference.

No, the use of phones on planes is banned because they disrupt mobile networks on the ground. An airliner with 500 phones on board, whizzing across a city, can befuddle a mobile network as the phones busily hop from one base-station to the next.

This obstacle is on the point of being overcome: the technology is being developed to allow passengers to use their existing handsets in flight, without interfering with ground-based networks.

First, a laptop-sized base-station, called a picocell, will be installed in the aircraft cabin. This is connected to the telephone network via a satellite link. The aircraft cabin is shielded to prevent handsets from making contact with base-stations on the ground.

Instead, they roam on to the network signal from the picocell. Since the picocell is so nearby, the handsets need use very little transmission power to maintain contact with it, which eliminates interference with the plane's avionics, and with networks on the ground.

All of these pieces have been put together in a prototype system by WirelessCabin, a consortium led by the German Aerospace Centre with members including Airbus, Siemens and Ericsson.

It will allow mobile phones based on the dominant GSM standard to be used in the air, and also supports laptop-based internet access via the popular Wi-Fi protocol.

The system has been successfully tested on the ground and will be tested in flight this summer, says Josef Kolbinger of Siemens.

A similar system for business jets will also be flight-tested this year, says Mike Fitzgerald of Altobridge, which provides technology to bridge cellular and satellite networks.

Then it will be up to the regulators. In Europe/America, regulators are drawing up rules to govern the use of wireless devices in flight, probably by mid-2005.

On-board telephony may be linked to loyalty schemes, giving regular customers lower rates or loyalty points when they make calls.

Ever tried talking on the radio while a mobile phone is ringing, or changing base stations. I have had a few embarrassing situations were passengers on commuter aircraft had left their phones on.

:yuk: :yuk: :yuk:

Most phones don’t work up at altitude. :suspect:

Props,
They don't work at altitude because the phone towers are too low. On all airorutes, they should be built 15,000ft high. Then we could ring the missus an hour out of town to find out what's for dinner.

Maybe it is your phones?

Never had any trouble using ours at 30,000 feet. ;)

As you pointed out in your opening post, lame, "the use of phones on planes is banned because they disrupt mobile networks on the ground." - I understand it also mucks up the billing account of the user :mad:
(btw, are we going to see you here http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...5&pagenumber=4 on May 2nd, lame?)

Old analogue system like VHF, line-of-sight. Known of connection upto 200km away. Use of analogue in aircraft upset cost charging system because of ability to connect at such great distances.Digital system uses a switch that ignores any set that has a delay equivalent to about 25km range. Am still concerned that digital phone signal could be misinterpreted by onboard digital equipment as a legitimate command signal. Although have read documents on experiments trying to immitate or repeat interference without success.So as SLF always turn mine off. But have it on when I'm flying myself.

Mr Seimens would only be interested in this system to rip off SLF with exorbitant satellite phone charges. (Of course with a bit of a kickback to the airline.)

Regards

Mark

(Kap just beat me)

My mobile makes a great "Poor mans GPS"

Look - I'm overhead Bathurst!

Tilt the phone the other way and its Lithgow :ok:

So much for credibility
 

Lame,
A confirmation by Siemens.........manufacturer of mobile phones.

What else are they gonna say? It's in their interest to say that.

Sort of like Monsanto Chemicals saying genetically modified canola is completely safe. Trouble is, they are the ones that created the GM seeds and have a monopoly. Stuff the farmers on adjacent properties whose crops get contaminated by the GM crap.[/rant]

Like Ozbusdriver wrote.

Next we'll be finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The noise through the radio is more than enough reason to keep em' off! :cool:

Well in Australia, I have never had any trouble, sadly not with the billing either, they always found me. :{

A few times at first it would have this really odd place name on the bill that I had never even heard off. :confused:

Just before I rang Telstra to complain, I realised this was the ground station over which we were flying while I was using my mobile. :uhoh:

We would often be cruising happily at 30,000 feet or so, all three of us on mobiles, plus there was even one fitted in the cockpit. ;)