Pick up the phone: US airlines rethinking on-board cell phone service

Airplane

Airplane

This month, Emirates became the latest airline to add in-flight cell phone service to its fleet of A380 aircraft. The Dubai-based carrier, which had offered a similar service on other aircraft since 2008, joins Virgin Atlantic, Etihad, and nearly two dozen other airlines around the world in permitting satellite-based mobile service so their passengers can make calls and send text messages from the air. While increasing numbers of American carriers offer on-board Wi-Fi, none so far allow for mobile phone calls or text messages. Read the full story at ARS Technica.

Author:

Shelly Palmer

Shelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York's On-air Tech Expert (WNYW-TV) and the host of Fox Television's monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living. He also hosts United Stations Radio Network's, Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily, a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology, media, and entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group, LLC an industry-leading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards).