EU to allow passengers cellphone calls on flights

PARIS -- For a decade, the French author and comic Phil Marso has been fighting a losing battle against the ubiquity of jangling mobile phones. He even tried to promote a cellphone-free day in February titled "A Day without blah blah."

Not that anybody noticed.

Monsieur Marso, fasten your seat belt.

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FOR THE RECORD:
British Airways: This article, published in Thursday's Business section, incorrectly refers to British Airways as British Airlines.

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The European Commission just issued new rules that pave the way for in-flight mobile phone use across Europe. It took three years of hearings and negotiations, and pressure from business travelers, airlines and manufacturers of new in-flight mobile phone systems, but Europe now has a uniform code to match up technical and licensing requirements across borders.

There are other bureaucratic obstacles, but some airlines are already liberating customers itching to check for messages.

Viviane Reding, the European commissioner in charge of telecommunications, said in a statement that the new rules were created to benefit the 90% of European air passengers who carry mobile phones but "especially for those business travelers who need to be ready to communicate wherever they are, wherever they go."

But Reding warned that calls, which will be offered as a service from airlines, "will not take off" if the price of a call was too high or if it came at too high a cost to the mood inside the cabin.

"We don't believe it's for the commission to regulate human behavior," said Martin Selmayr, Reding's spokesman. "So just like some airlines offer nothing but a sandwich and others a three-course lunch, some will enforce limitations and others will allow a free-for-all."

Airlines have been weighing how to offer the new service. Among the ideas under consideration: mobile-free sections of the aircraft, or use at limited points in the flight.

All phones will have to be switched off during takeoff and landing, and will not operate over countries such as the United States that prohibit passengers from using their cellphones in mid-flight.

"The airlines could ban it during long flights so you can get some sleep," said Selmayr, adding, with a chuckle, "or, heaven forbid, during lunch."

To ensure that passengers' calls and messaging don't interfere with the airplane equipment, they will be linked to the ground through a mini cellular network stored in an overhead luggage compartment.

The network is designed to create an area of coverage in the aircraft that connects, via a satellite, to mobile networks on the ground. Cellular phone companies are expected to establish roaming charges just as they do for calls outside customers' home service areas. The European Commission will not regulate those charges, but Reding has vowed to keep an eye on prices.

To ensure that the captain and flight attendants remain in control of the chatter, they will be able to flick a switch to turn off voice calls -- limiting passengers to e-mail and text messages -- or shut down the system entirely.

The "blah-blah" can't get too intense if only because of technical reasons: The mini network only allows 10 to 12 voice calls at one time, Selmayr said.

Air France and the budget airline Ryanair have the technology in place to test the market. In June, Ryanair is introducing mobile phone use in 20 aircraft operating out of one of its European bases, according to a company spokesman, who said: "We're not disclosing which base, but if it works we'll roll it out toward the end of summer across all the fleet."

Since December, Air France has offered the service for text messages and e-mail on its A-318, a 123-seat aircraft used for its European flights.

On April 2, the airline hit the switch for voice calls, spokeswoman Marina Tymen said.