Qantas Plans On-Board Mobile Phone Trial

Australian airline Qantas has announced plans to trial mobile phone use in a single plane, and is likely to extend it to all aircraft if it proves successful. The trial will allow SMS and e-mail messages, but not voice calls according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Qantas claims there is strong demand from business users who wish to continue working on their flight — and although if the trial is successful and the technology implemented voice calls could be allowed, the calls will be considered international ones and charged roaming fees accordingly.

It uses AeroMobile’s technology that puts a base station on the plane (which is why it is considered another country, apparently), so the phone doesn’t have to use its strongest power output to communicate with the base station but its minimal power output, so it shouldn’t interfere with the planes aviation systems.

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