Archived from groups: alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 (
More info?)
"Andy Turner" <andyt@nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:d5ia51h8o5pptcul7q99njs6ueinclje47@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 04:24:07 GMT, "Eric" <nospam@nospam.not> wrote:
>
> >Wifi may, enabled, actually be allowed. I was on at least one flight
where
> >two passengers were using 802.11 to play a multiplayer game. They asked
the
> >stewardess prior to playing and she gave them the ok. This was at
cruise
> >altitude. I believe, here in the US, electronic devices can be used once
> >passing 10,000 feet during ascent. I "think" the question of allowing
wifi
> >is left to the discretion of the airline. I know several airlines here
in
> >the US have future plans on giving internet access via wifi, while the
> >aircraft is above 10,000 feet. Cell phones are different though. I seem
to
> >recall reading an article once that one of the main problems with using a
> >cell phone in an aircraft is the havoc it can cause on the cellular
network
> >as the phone (at altitude) could simultaneously connect to several ground
> >towers.
>
> This is bollocks. At any one time you're in range of multiple cells
> (even on the ground), since by their design they have to overlap.
Except that altitude, a cell phone is going to have LOS to not just a few
multiple towers but dozens of them. In addition, many of the cell
infrastructures can't support the switching that would occur from a cell
user traveling at 300+ KIAS.
> and the idea that the airlines would be so vigilent in trying to
> reduce problems for the cellphone providers (when such a problem ought
> to be easily fixed and implementations would most likely be different
> in different countries anyway), just doesn't sound very likely. If
> presented with such a request, I'm sure the airlines would say "why
> don't you just change your systems to deal with it then?".
Here in the US, it isn't the airlines that are being "vigilant in trying to
reduce problems for cell providers". It is the FCC. Particulary, the
FCC's Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 47, Sec. 22.925, "Prohibition on
airborne operation of cellular telephones". I don't believe there is an
FAA FAR that specifically covers cellular phone use while airborne (other
than the FAR on general electronics use), however it is specifically
prohibited by the FCC in the US. The article that I mentioned (cell phones
playing havoc at altitude) was cited with IEEE references. Do a google. I
just did one and got hundreds of hits on the topic of cell phones causing
problems at altitude by accessing multiple towers -- many of which were
sites ending in .gov
oldy-7667A0.23140509042005@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
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