TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: USATODAY.com - Airborne Cell-Phone Ban Likely to Remain

Re: USATODAY.com - Airborne Cell-Phone Ban Likely to Remain

Marcus Didius Falco (falco_marcus_didius@yahoo.co.uk)
Wed, 15 Dec 2004 00:50:39 -0500

AES/newspost <siegman@stanford.edu> wrote regarding Re: USATODAY.com
Airborne Cell-Phone Ban Likely to Remain For Now on Tue, 14 Dec
2004 12:05:25 -0800:

> In article <telecom23.596.1@telecom-digest.org>, Marcus Didius Falco
> <falco_marcus_didius@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>> Airlines, rival wireless companies and aircraft maker Boeing are
>> salivating at the prospect of more in-flight communications services,
>> including high-speed Internet, or broadband, to meet travelers'
>> demands.

>> "Today the high cost of wireless when flying has kept the users low,"
>> telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan said. "But once the cost drops
>> or once you can use your own phone on board, the quiet air cabin may
>> be a thing of the past."

>> Kagan, who does a lot of traveling, said he loves and hates the idea
>> of making and receiving calls during a flight.

>> "We should be very careful before opening this up," he said. "Just
>> think how annoying it is to hear the person behind you shouting to his
>> neighbor when you are trying to work or read or sleep."

> I've read news stories in the past about cellphone jammers or blockers
> for use in restaurants, theaters, library reading rooms, etc.

> Anyone have any leads on portable, battery-powered versions?

Illegal in the US and Canada. There will probably be MAJOR penalties
for using such high-powered devices on aircraft.

There are reports that some hotels have been importing them from
countries where they are legal (such as Israel and Taiwan), which is
possibly why you may have trouble using your cell phone in some
hotels. These tend to be hotels that have high charges for using the
land-line phones in their rooms. However, no one has proved this, and
there are no reports of anyone using a signal-strength meter to scan
the hotels in question.

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