Romanain IT&C Regulator To Allow Mobile Phone Use On Planes

“The use of mobile phones onboard airplanes becomes a reality after the enactment of the decision of the Electronic Communications Committee, or ECC, regarding the use of GSM systems onboard planes in the 1710-1785 and 1805-1880 MHz frequency bands,” a press statement of the Authority reads.

The system presupposes the existence onboard the airplanes of a base station at which the phone is connected, station that forbids transmission at high frequencies and that afterwards connects through a satellite with the mobile-line land networks. The first services to be available onboard planes will be that of voice and text messages.

The licenses to use the service will be currently released for a period of six months and will require payment in advance. Currently, occasional licenses were granted to most European countries such as Belgium, Holland, Germany, France and Italy.

Norway’s Aeromobile and Switzerland’s Onair, companies activating in the field of air transport focused applications, have already received the functioning authorizations for several countries in Europe. Aeromobile received ANRCTI’s authorization to supply electronic communication services onboard airplanes transiting Romania, and Onair has submitted the documentation and is expecting to receive the approval.