| 28th December - Send and receive
emails, sms and mms messages at 10,000 m! Air France has become
the first airline in the world to offer an in-flight mobile phone service on international
flights Using to the Mobile OnAir system, passengers travelling on board one
of the Airbus A318 aircraft operating European routes can now:Send and receive
sms and mms messages
Send and receive emails via all phones with Internet access
During
the second half of the trial, passengers will be able to make and receive phone
calls, with the service being regulated to maintain passengers’ comfort and
well-being. Customers on board this Airbus A318, with seating for 123 passengers,
can find out more about this service in an information leaflet in seat pockets.
Information will also be included in the cabin crew announcement. Air France welcomes
feedback on this service from its passengers, who can fill in a twenty-question
survey. At the end of the six-month trial, Air France will examine the
feedback and comments made by customers to determine whether to launch this service
on all its flights. “We are seizing every opportunity to offer customers
the latest technological innovations, while continuing to make their travel comfort
and well-being our main priority”, stated Patrick Roux, Executive Vice President
Marketing Air France. Benoit Debains, CEO of OnAir, said “We are delighted
that Air France is the first airline to use the Mobile OnAir onboard mobile telephony
system on international flights. This marks an important phase in the implementation
of a new generation of in-flight services and we are confident that this trial
will define the future standards in terms of in-flight passenger communication”.
The Mobile OnAir onboard mobile telephony system, certified by EASA (European
Aviation Safety Authority) does not interfere with the radio-navigation instruments
on this Airbus A318 and may only be used at cruising altitude once the new illuminated
sign “Switch off your phone” is turned off. The system is activated
at 3,000 metres (10,000 feet). OnAir has roaming agreements with mobile
network operators, including the three major operators in France: Orange, Bouygues
Telecom and SFR. How does it work? - Mobile phones connect to
a miniature cellular network installed inside this aircraft.
A modem transmits
data and calls to a satellite that routes them to a ground station. Data and calls
are then routed to the passenger’s usual telephone network. This network
is located inside the aircraft. Passengers’ mobile phones only emit at minimum
power, which does not risk harming interference with aircraft avionics or ground
telecoms network.
- Phones are used just like on the ground. To make
a call on board the aircraft, passengers simply dial the international prefix
(+) or 00 + country code + full number (without the 0).
- The cost of
data exchanges are invoiced by the customers’ telephone operator and are
comparable to those used for normal international mobile phone calls.
Source:
Air
France Back
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