Cellphones in Flight: The Story Is Data, Not Chatter (reg required)

The New York Times has an update on the plan to ease restrictions on mobile communications in flight. It points out that any change in the rules is likely to be at least two years away, and the support for the changes is because people want to use data services on a flight, not voice services. “While relaxing the ban would increase productivity and billable hours…the real demand is for access to e-mail and the Internet, whether on a laptop or on a hand-held device like a BlackBerry”. People want to be able to communicate in the air, but silently.
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