SMS Available Soon on Domestic Flights
There is talk of SMS being made available on domestic flights in the near future with the Australian Communications and Media Authority expected to make an announcement on the issue in the coming weeks.
It is expected that aircraft will be equipped with a "pico-cell" or mobile base station which will allow passengers to use their mobiles, as well as iPads and other internet devices mid-flight.
However, passengers cannot expect the same kind of high speed web surfing that laptop and smart phone users experience. The system will be based on GPRS technology, in which users can transmit data at a maximum 120 kilobits per second compared with the 3 to 10 megabits per second for Australian 3G subscribers.
Usage is expected to be limited to email, SMS messaging and twittering and passengers would not be able to make in-flight calls.
The proposed pico-cell will operate at a lower power than ground-based systems, removing any threat to endanger aircraft systems.
