Mobile phones clear for take-off?

A few months ago I commented on some of the technical developments in passenger in-flight systems (‘In-flight Internet access…and mobile phones too?’).
In recent weeks, there have been some rapid developments, not on the
technical front, but in terms of regulation and operation, with
announcements from the UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom and the
European Commission.

On the 26th March, Ofcom published the results of its consultation on the use of Mobile Communications on Aircraft (MCA). The executive summary summarizes the findings and Ofcom’s decisions, but the full statement (PDF) provides much more detail, revealing a mixture of social, operational, safety and security issues.

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