Mile high mobile: No voice please, we're passengers

Analysts are predicting that passengers travelling on mobile-enabled planes will keep their mouths shut and their thumbs busy.

According to a new report from analyst house IDC, most people are interested in using data services such as email and SMS, rather than voice functionality, while in the air.

Of the 50,000 people quizzed by the research firm, 11 per cent were in favour of using their mobiles on planes for voice calls - whether throughout an aircraft or in special mobile areas - and 64 per cent gave the thumbs up to accessing data services on their phones. IDC also found the most popular data application would be sending text messages.

This new data trend will not only be good news for the carriers - both the operators and the airlines - but also for phone makers, by encouraging demand for smart phones, the analyst house predicts.

It is unlikely most people will be using their mobiles while in the air for a while yet, however. While a joint project between comms company SITA and plane-maker Airbus recently received approval from the EU, the two have declared in-flight chat is at least a year away.