In-flight mobile calls take wing

Airborne mobile phone services took a test flight in the US late last week in a safety demonstration aimed at easing fears about mobile phones interfering with navigation systems.

During a two-hour "proof of concept" flight 30,000 feet over Dallas, wireless-gear maker Qualcomm joined American Airlines to show off a service using CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, technology. An onboard cellular base station the size of a laptop was linked to a Globalstar satellite, which funnelled calls and short text messages to Earth-bound mobile phones.

Dan Garton, an executive vice president American Airlines, said in a statement: "Even though commercial availability of [mobile] phone use in-flight is approximately 24 months away, [this is] an important step in bringing in-cabin wireless services to our customers."

The demonstration is a sign that the wireless and airline industries are confident that federal restrictions on in-cabin mobile phone use will be lifted. The ban was borne of concerns that the calls could compromise equipment onboard the plane and on the ground.

Paul Guckian, senior director of technology at Qualcomm, said: "We did not put anyone in any danger."

Telephone companies have been eager to give in-flight systems a try, because airplane passengers are a captive audience for making voice calls or using an internet connection for work or entertainment. To date, their efforts have mainly consisted of installing phones into seatbacks or offering broadband access for laptops.

Should mobile phone calling be allowed on planes, airlines may have to contend with a backlash from passengers who don't want to hear someone else's conversation.

Ben Charny writes for News.com