its about time! Apparently carriers are looking at allowing this as soon as next month. An onboard base station will make it possible to make and receive phone calls.
It’s a step in the right direction - invaluable for business travellers for sure but I wonder how much it’s going to cost though… and I’m not sure if I wanna be listening to someone else’s conversation that up close.
For me personally, the main value of the service is in using text messaging and being able to send e-mails while in-flight.
I dont read this as invitation to use just any cellphone. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I see this as a company (telenor) setting up their own base station, blocking all other cellphone signals, and effectively charging you for not being able to use your own airplan.
Sounds like a rip off to me, especially when there’s no proof that using my good old Rogers phone poses any problem:
From what I understand Telenor has been the first service provider to capitalize the opportunity by partnering with specific airlines.
It'll probably take a couple of years to see how mobile service providers, network operators, airline carriers, roaming agreements etc. all figure into a rather novel value chain for in-flight cell phone usage.
There are always going to be market players with first mover advantage who will enjoy a significant markup but this will probably be short lived until the industry models mature and the novelty of the service wears off.
Internet access is ok, but is it really necessary to offer a cell phone signal on a plane? It annoys me to see people babbling around everywhere, so I actually appreciate the fact that using a cell phone on a plane is currently not allowed.
As far as I've heard some airlines will not use this technology because they say customers don't want it. I am one of those customers and say: Thank you Lufthansa & Co.