Qantas has announced that it will open up the use of SMS and email on some domestic flights on Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft. The announcement comes after a trial into the use of mobile phones in-flight. Users will have to have flight mode capable mobile phones or PDAs with international roaming set up on their mobile accounts.
According to the Qantas website:
“To send and receive text messages, customers will require a tri-band
or quad band GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phone
with an active account with a telecommunications service provider who
has a roaming agreement with AeroMobile and International Roaming
activated with their service provider.
To send and receive emails, customers will require a GPRS equipped phone, PDA, or laptop with an active email account.”
As Dan Warne commented over at APC, global roaming could equate to very expensive.
Qantas also offers in-flight SMS, phone calls and seat-to-seat phone calls on its B747-400 and A330-300 services. They charge $US1.90 per SMS. I’m guessing these craft serve international flights only – if you’re a frequent flyer and confirm this, please leave a comment.
Qantas, Emirates push in-flight cell phone use (CNET)
Dust For Eyes
March 25, 2008 at 4:28 PM
The press release says it’s for aircraft that are mainly used for domestic flights.
Report PermalinkStuart Dapples
March 25, 2008 at 11:54 PM
I’ve travelled on the 767 that was used for the domestic trials.
This was on the ADL/DRW flight. I believe your phone carrier has to have an agreement with Aeromobile the inflight service provider. It’s not just a case of what you were doing in the terminal you can now do on the flight.
For me personally, on the plane is about the only place I get some peace from phones and e-mail.
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