Aircraft no longer a haven from mobile phone nuisance
Air passengers landing or taking off from Malta or over Maltese airspace will be able to use their mobile phones on airplanes. The Malta Communications Authority said it will facilitate the use of mobile phones on aircraft after regulations...
Air passengers landing or taking off from Malta or over Maltese airspace will be able to use their mobile phones on airplanes.
The Malta Communications Authority said it will facilitate the use of mobile phones on aircraft after regulations implementing the EU Commission decision on harmonised conditions of spectrum use for the operation of mobile communication services on board aircraft in EU airspace came into force last October.
"The development of mobile communication services on board aircraft opens the opportunity for a new market for mobile services, building on the ubiquitous usage of mobile handsets and consumers' expectations of being contactable anywhere and at any time," the MCA commented in a statement.
In substance the regulations make available specified frequency bands as listed in the regulations on a non-interference and non-protected basis to enable airlines to offer mobile communication services on board locally registered aircraft, if they wish to do so.
These regulations cover in-flight phone calls, e-mail type data communication and messages sent or received by passengers using their own everyday mobile phones. It does not include aircraft-specific phones, such as those integrated within the aircraft seat that are made available by some airlines, nor does it cover operational communications made by and to the aircraft's crew. This service is currently limited to GSM1800 technology.
The euro tariff, the maximum mobile roaming rate applied in the EU, does not apply for this kind of service, as it is only applicable to land-based mobile networks. Service providers are free to set their tariffs.
The MCA's role here is to regulate the authorisation and use of radio spectrum, the possession of radio communications apparatus and the provision of electronic communications networks and services. The relevant standard obligations applied to land-based electronic communications networks and services will also apply to such services on aircraft.
Providers of mobile communication systems on board aircraft must have an international mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC) issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to enable passengers' handsets to roam onto the mobile communication system on board aircraft network.
The authority stressed the importance of safety.
"Issues relating to air safety are of paramount importance and mobile communication services on board aircraft may be provided only on condition that they have fulfilled air safety requirements via appropriate airworthiness certification and other relevant aeronautical agreements, together with electronic communications requirements," it said.
Airworthiness certificates valid for the whole EU are issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and civil aviation authorities to ensure the safe use of technology in the aircraft cabin and their requirements must be satisfied before mobile communication services on board aircraft can be introduced.
"The authorisation for the possession of apparatus for mobile communication services on board aircraft does not create any presumption that such services will or should be permitted by the aviation safety authorities," the MCA added.
The authority explained that until now, the potential disturbance to land-based mobile networks was one reason for prohibiting mobile phone use in planes. The other reason was the risk of high-power transmissions from mobile phones in aircraft interfering with on-board navigation and avionics equipment. This risk, already small, is made remote by the mobile communication service on board aircraft, which introduces a controlled environment inside the cabin forcing all mobiles to connect only to the mobile communication system on board aircraft. Mobile phones need to use much less power to connect to the base station that is only a few metres away and on board the aircraft itself, rather than a base station that is on the ground. Furthermore, each aircraft offering this service undergoes stringent aeronautical testing before the mobile communication equipment on board aircraft is installed to ensure that the aircraft is capable of supporting such a service without safety consequences.
The third element in the mobile communication system on board aircraft is a satellite link connecting the aircraft to public phone networks on the ground. The same satellite link is already being used for operational communications with the crew of the aircraft.
This means mobile use will be possible except during take-off and landing.
As to the issue of the loss of peace and quiet during flights as a result of mobile phone calls, the MCA said that as long as safety and security are ensured, the way in which commercial services are provided is a decision essentially for the private sector. The social aspects related to the use of mobile communication on board aircraft technology should be handled by the airlines as part of their usual relationship with their customers, keeping in mind the special situation in aircraft cabins where one passenger is normally located closely to another.
Early last year Air Malta had already expressed an interest in providing mobile communication facilities on board its flights. At the time the airline said it "will study the introduction of such systems on its aircraft in line with relevant safety and commercial policies and in the best interest of its customers".
Other airlines serving Malta such as Emirates Airline already provide such a service on some of their flights and this is being gradually installed on all their fleet.
The Malta Communications Authority said it will facilitate the use of mobile phones on aircraft after regulations implementing the EU Commission decision on harmonised conditions of spectrum use for the operation of mobile communication services on board aircraft in EU airspace came into force last October.
"The development of mobile communication services on board aircraft opens the opportunity for a new market for mobile services, building on the ubiquitous usage of mobile handsets and consumers' expectations of being contactable anywhere and at any time," the MCA commented in a statement.
In substance the regulations make available specified frequency bands as listed in the regulations on a non-interference and non-protected basis to enable airlines to offer mobile communication services on board locally registered aircraft, if they wish to do so.
These regulations cover in-flight phone calls, e-mail type data communication and messages sent or received by passengers using their own everyday mobile phones. It does not include aircraft-specific phones, such as those integrated within the aircraft seat that are made available by some airlines, nor does it cover operational communications made by and to the aircraft's crew. This service is currently limited to GSM1800 technology.
The euro tariff, the maximum mobile roaming rate applied in the EU, does not apply for this kind of service, as it is only applicable to land-based mobile networks. Service providers are free to set their tariffs.
The MCA's role here is to regulate the authorisation and use of radio spectrum, the possession of radio communications apparatus and the provision of electronic communications networks and services. The relevant standard obligations applied to land-based electronic communications networks and services will also apply to such services on aircraft.
Providers of mobile communication systems on board aircraft must have an international mobile country code (MCC) and mobile network code (MNC) issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to enable passengers' handsets to roam onto the mobile communication system on board aircraft network.
The authority stressed the importance of safety.
"Issues relating to air safety are of paramount importance and mobile communication services on board aircraft may be provided only on condition that they have fulfilled air safety requirements via appropriate airworthiness certification and other relevant aeronautical agreements, together with electronic communications requirements," it said.
Airworthiness certificates valid for the whole EU are issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and civil aviation authorities to ensure the safe use of technology in the aircraft cabin and their requirements must be satisfied before mobile communication services on board aircraft can be introduced.
"The authorisation for the possession of apparatus for mobile communication services on board aircraft does not create any presumption that such services will or should be permitted by the aviation safety authorities," the MCA added.
The authority explained that until now, the potential disturbance to land-based mobile networks was one reason for prohibiting mobile phone use in planes. The other reason was the risk of high-power transmissions from mobile phones in aircraft interfering with on-board navigation and avionics equipment. This risk, already small, is made remote by the mobile communication service on board aircraft, which introduces a controlled environment inside the cabin forcing all mobiles to connect only to the mobile communication system on board aircraft. Mobile phones need to use much less power to connect to the base station that is only a few metres away and on board the aircraft itself, rather than a base station that is on the ground. Furthermore, each aircraft offering this service undergoes stringent aeronautical testing before the mobile communication equipment on board aircraft is installed to ensure that the aircraft is capable of supporting such a service without safety consequences.
The third element in the mobile communication system on board aircraft is a satellite link connecting the aircraft to public phone networks on the ground. The same satellite link is already being used for operational communications with the crew of the aircraft.
This means mobile use will be possible except during take-off and landing.
As to the issue of the loss of peace and quiet during flights as a result of mobile phone calls, the MCA said that as long as safety and security are ensured, the way in which commercial services are provided is a decision essentially for the private sector. The social aspects related to the use of mobile communication on board aircraft technology should be handled by the airlines as part of their usual relationship with their customers, keeping in mind the special situation in aircraft cabins where one passenger is normally located closely to another.
Early last year Air Malta had already expressed an interest in providing mobile communication facilities on board its flights. At the time the airline said it "will study the introduction of such systems on its aircraft in line with relevant safety and commercial policies and in the best interest of its customers".
Other airlines serving Malta such as Emirates Airline already provide such a service on some of their flights and this is being gradually installed on all their fleet.