In-flight mobile use stays grounded in the US

The US Federal Communications Commission is to drop an ongoing inquiry into relaxing a prohibition on mobile phone use in airborne aircraft.

The regulators said it was "premature" to decide the issue because they had not received enough technical information to determine whether portable electronic devices would interfere with aircraft operations. The prohibition dates back to 1991.

The FCC said: "We may, however, reconsider this issue in the future if appropriate technical data is available for our review."

Wi-fi on planes, however, is another story. A spokesman for AirCell, the Colorado company that received an FCC licence last year enabling it to set up hotspots on aircraft, confirmed it still plans to begin offering its exclusive service to passengers by early 2008.

The mobile phone decision was not unexpected. According to published reports, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said late last month he planned to recommend terminating the proceeding.

A federal advisory committee, at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, is currently finishing up its own study on broader use of emerging telephone technologies on aircraft on its own and expects to issue recommendations later this year.

After opening the issue for several months of public comment in December 2004, the FCC amassed nearly 8,000 comments, many from individual citizens who balked at the idea of allowing fellow passengers to indulge in mobile phone chatter in the close quarters of airline seating.

A large number of the letters relied on lines suggested by the Association of Flight Attendants union: "The introduction of cell phone use in the cabin will not only increase tension among passengers, it will compromise flight attendants' ability to maintain order in an emergency. Cell phone use could also enable terrorists to co-ordinate a plan of action more effectively."

CTIA - The Wireless Association, which represents mobile phone carriers, applauded the FCC's move. A spokesman said the organisation maintains "in-flight calling produces an unacceptable level of interference with the terrestrial network".

Anne Broache writes for CNET News.com