In-flight cellphone network passes test
Passengers could soon make cellphone calls during a flight using onboard transceivers currently being flight tested. But concerns remain over possible interference with aircraft electronics.
American Airlines demonstrated the new in-flight phone system, installed in one of its aircraft, during a short flight on Thursday. The aircraft took off from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and circled at 25,000 feet for the demonstration.
Passengers were able to make and receive calls using cellphones compatible with the network standard Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA. Cellular phones connect to a "pico-cell" base station aboard the plane before being linked to an orbiting satellite.
Calls are then linked to a gateway on the ground before being forwarded on to a normal cellular network. Users reported experiencing short delays of about a second during Thursday's calls. The time lag is caused by the satellite connection.
Scott Becker of US networking company Qualcomm, which installed the in-flight phone system, says it could be adapted to allow users on other networks to make calls. This might include the European GSM network standard, he says
