Germany greenlights mobile phones on planes

The German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing will lift the ban on the use of mobile phones on commercial flights starting with 2006. The German Aerospace Centre says that mobile phone signals do not interfere with onboard electronics. Several European airlines are also considering the removal of the in-flight ban on GSM phones. Last year, the US Federal Communications Commission proposed lifting the ban on the use of GPRS, EDGE and 3G phones onboard. Initially, only the 1800 MHz variants would be allowed to use. This all means you no longer have to switch off your phone. Anyway, most phones don’t listen to their owners at high altitudes…. Why bother then? I have a feeling that this particular ‘ban lift’ is a sign that smarter phones will hit the market soon…
[Via The register]