Airlines planning mobile phones service face Irish airspace ban

AIRLINES planning to allow mobile phones on planes will not be able to do so in Irish airspace because continent wide broadcasting regulations have yet to be ironed out.

This week Emirates airline announced its intention to become the first company in the world to launch a mobile service in January 2007 with its partner Aeromobile.

However, its success will be subject to ongoing discussions taking place at the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) which represents 46 countries and has yet to licence the technology.

A spokeswoman for the communications’ regulator ComReg said that, despite the progress of airlines towards mobile communications, it could not permit the service in Irish airspace until consensus was reached.

She said: “At the moment it is an issue being discussed by CEPT and there are regulatory issues around this that have to be resolved. When that happens, obviously we will be in a position to move.”

In the past year, trials have been carried out by Air France, BMI Baby and Ryanair to equip Airbuses and Boeing aircraft with the satellite technology needed to operate a mobile service at altitude.

The proposed service will allow conversation-free periods on long-haul flights, bucking Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary’s statement that if customers want a silent flight they can choose another airline.

Already Airbus and Boeing have indicated their intentions to replace redundant no-smoking lights with new no-mobile phone warnings.