International aviation regulators and airlines are clamouring to test the viability of passengers using cellphones during flights. However, South African regulations are still sticky.
According to a legal advisor in the Civil Aviation Authority of SA (CAA), the regulation stipulates that electronic devices still cannot be used in aircraft and specifically not during takeoff and landing.
However, he says the regulations developed here may not have an impact on international travellers flying over South African airspace.
He says the regulations will have more impact on local airlines attempting to implement a similar pilot project. "The regulation does say the use of such devices depends on the pilot. If it does not interfere with navigational equipment, the pilot can say yes to the use of cellphones."
However, he is quick to point out that the implementation of such measures must comply with other stipulations listed in the CAA regulatory framework.
The Airports Company of SA says: "South African civil aviation legislation says the use of cellphones is not permitted on board an aircraft. This would apply anywhere within the boundaries of SA [on the ground and in the airspace]."
Airlines on board
However, airlines are eyeing international trends with interest. Head of Kulula Ventures Jamie Clyde says the company is looking at the possibility of including some sort of system to allow cellphone use on board.
"It is an expensive exercise; we would have to look at the costs of the technology we could use on-board, and the legislative and regulatory implications can also be costly."
However, Clyde says in terms of regulation, if an airline can prove there is no interference, the implementation will be allowed. "Most of the international companies have worked in this way, by aggressively pushing the regulatory environment."
He says the costs must be assessed before Kulula even thinks about allowing the use of electronic devices such as data and voice PDAs and phones. "We want something like that to be cost-effective for our customers."
Clyde expects that over the next few years, the pioneer airlines will lead the others in installing technology that allows passengers to call home from personal devices.
He also believes other implications have not yet been taken into account. "There is the possibility that this will affect the consumer. Who wants to sit next to someone screaming into the phone?"
Powering up
Clyde says there are several options of how it could work. One would be to include a mini-base station, called a picocell, on the aircraft.
"This does two things. First, it reduces the amount of power a cellphone would need to communicate with the base stations. Because the further away they are, the more power they need - and this was the primary safety concern for navigation systems," he explains.
Secondly, the hundreds of cellphones on board would, under normal circumstances, compete with the few towers available on the ground. "Those towers are unlikely to be equipped with handling the large loads that will pass through as an aircraft flies over."
Air France and OnAir are using the picocell system in the pilot they are conducting. The cellphone communicates with the picocell, which in turn communicates with a satellite. Even in the international market, cellphones must still be switched off during takeoff and landing.
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