coming soon: rude cell phone users on airplanes too

via HuffPo Airlines Prepare for Cellphone Calling Service Could Begin Next Year, Safety Remains an Issue On May 10, the Federal Communications Commission will auction radio spectrum that will allow telecommunications companies to operate wireless Internet and cellphone services for air travel. Already, several companies, including Verizon Communications Inc., AirCell, a closely held Colorado company, and AeroMobile, a joint venture of ARINC Inc. and Telenor ASA, are lining up to bid. The FAA recently approved a Verizon Wi-Fi system that lets laptops connect to the Internet from airplanes. (If Verizon wins spectrum at the May 10 auction, the company says the system could be up and running in 2007.) Some companies are also unveiling new technology they say will make inflight calling less disruptive and safer. The problem with using cellphones on airplanes is that the devices can interfere with Global Positioning Satellite systems, researchers say. These systems are increasingly being used on commercial airplanes for navigation. Interference could cause an airplane to lose the GPS signal or even make a flight veer off course. Currently, federal rules prohibit the use of personal electronic devices onboard airplanes unless airlines can prove they are safe to operate. … Inflight cellular calls cause other problems, too. Since calling from high up in the air can tie up a big chunk of capacity, wireless users on the ground can be blocked from service. The FCC had banned cellphone use on planes because of this problem. But now communications companies are unrolling new technology to address that issue. Some companies are preparing to equip airplanes with "pico cell" cellular antennas that will allow as many as 100 cellphones at a time to work without disrupting cell service on the ground. Since pico cells are installed on airplanes are thereby close to the cellphones of passengers, the phones operate at low power and won't produce interference with instruments, companies say. … One certainty: Phone use, like use of computers and other electronic devices, will only be allowed when planes are above 10,000 feet, and will be prohibited during takeoff and landing. Sometime within the next year, airlines will likely being training flight attendants on how to instruct passengers on proper seat chatter procedures and etiquette.