Business Daily Africa has a good article about mobile phones and planes. Here it is:

Mobile phones take a step into the air travel industry
Written by Kui Kinyanjui

September 3, 2008

When Grace Maina embarked on a three-day trip through Europe, she expected to be exhausted after adhering to her hectic schedule.

She did not count on encountering a new inconvenience – having to endure an upsurge in mobile phone use while on board.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said the 65-year- old housewife, “Everyone was on their mobile phone before the plane took off and right when it landed.  It was  scary – I thought mobile phones were banned on planes due to safety reasons. I felt my space had been invaded,” she said.

In coming months, Mrs Maina and several other passengers on flights around the world will have to accommodate a new companion on their flights – the mobile phone.

After years of research into the safety of mobile phones on planes, use of the gadgets has finally been approved in one of the last frontiers of ‘unconnectedness’ – the aeroplane.

Earlier this year, airlines plying European routes launched full mobile services for passengers through a collaboration with Aeromobile, a company that provides solutions for the mobile sector.

In April this year, Emirates and Air France introduced mobile services on their flights, signaling the growing acceptance of the trend by the industry’s leading lights.

Research has revealed that the practice is not dangerous as previously thought, and up to 52 per cent of passengers are said to be happy with the concept of talking while en route to their destination.

“We believe that the ability to communicate efficiently and safely when on board will become an every-day feature for business and leisure travellers soon,” said Aeromobile’s Chief Executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg.

Mr Sandberg’s company, Aeromobile, developed the technology that allows mobiles on planes to successfully communicate with ground base stations allowing for seamless conversation time while en route. Rather than being welcomed with open arms, the gadget may find a new obstacle in fliers like Mrs Maina, who prefer to keep their flights communication-free.

Even as the practice grows in popularity with more airlines and mobile operators adopting the trend, new evidence reveals not all airline users are pleased at the move.

An August survey commissioned by Internet company Yahoo found that most travellers preferred to have mobile phone use in planes limited to silent functions  – such as text messages or internet surfing.

About 75 per cent preferred that option, while 38 per cent were happy to enjoy in-flight SMS only and 28 per cent said email and internet services were enough.

Twenty-nine per cent of consumers would be happy to play games found on their mobile phones, indicating that users might be satisfied with just being able to use mobile phones for entertainment rather than conversational purposes.

However, for many fliers and indeed airlines, confusion still reigns on what mobile connectivity in the air means.  Differing standards for airlines means the rules are still unclear on mobile use in the air.

And while some airlines allow the use of off-line or off network features on their phones, others restrict any use altogether.

At the other end of the spectrum, a select few, like Air France and Emirates, allow full use of the phone, including calling facilities.

When asked, staff at the Nairobi office of Emirates, one of the first airlines to embrace mobile phone use in the air, were unclear on whether the service was being offered on board or not.

The grey area is already causing friction in some quarters, as phone manufacturers develop phones built for use in the air and different airlines adopt varying guidelines for use in-flight.

“I own an iPhone that has an aeroplane mode, which allows me to use some features of the phone that do not require connectivity to a mobile network,” said George Kiambi, who recently flew from London to Nairobi.

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“But when I tried to use it onboard a flight I was forced to put it off by hostesses who said it would interfere with the plane’s systems.”

Results from the Yahoo survey place mobile web, entertainment such as gaming and SMS at the top of most travelers wish lists for on-board phone use.

For Mrs Maina though, no phone use at all would be more preferable.  “God forbid the day they launch it.  I shall fly with whoever does not allow mobile phone use on board flights,” she said.