June 20, 2005

As the debate over in-flight wireless voice use continues, a recent worldwide survey from IDC Insight and SMS.ac found that only 11 percent of 50,000 respondents said they are in favor of cell-phone use for voice calls on planes, but 64 percent of respondents approved of in-flight mobile-phone use for activities other than voice calls.

The results are in line with a study released in April from the Association of Flight Attendants/Communications Workers of America and the National Consumers League that found air travelers do not want the ban on cell-phone use while in flight lifted. The move is currently being considered.

"Just think about being confined inside an aluminum tube several thousand feet above the ground with no place to go to get away from the person next to you, across the aisle, in front or in back of you chatting away on his cell phone.

It is noisy inside those airplanes, and people are going to have to speak-or feel as if they have to speak-louder in order to be able to be heard," said Patricia Friend, international president of the AFA/CWA.

Almost two-thirds of the AFA/CWA survey participants wanted to keep the ban on cell-phone use while in flight in place.

Cingular Wireless agreed with the position in a letter sent earlier this month to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The carriers said the confines of an airplane are not the optimum location for wireless voice communications but data services did have a place in-flight. The carriers are also concerned with the safety implications of wireless use on airplanes.

The IDC survey also aimed to identify which wireless services were most appealing and potentially most likely to be adopted for use during flight.

Of the 11 specified activities, in-flight text messaging was the most popular.

"Whether a mobile device vendor is interested in the in-flight market or not, the key finding from this survey remains the same: By comprehending the needs and criteria specific to the user segment and location, mobility companies can enhance their products to better serve and target the desired customers and market segments," says Dana Thorat, research manager of Mobile Users at IDC.

Source: RCR News