High-Wire Act

Entrepreneur, May, 2001 by Christopher Elliott

When can we use our cell phones In the air, already?

Can your cell phone fly? It's a timely and controversial question, according to Terry Wiseman, publisher of the in-flight entertainment newsletter Airfax (www.airfax.com).

By the end of this year, at least three airlines--Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines--will offer on-board Internet connections. And soon after that, airlines could begin testing systems that would allow you to use wireless devices while the aircraft is in flight.

The possibility that electronic interference may affect an aircraft's navigational system remains a major concern in the airline industry and a roadblock to widespread freedom to use cell phones. Until airlines resolve the issue, business travelers will have to be content to check e-mail from their laptop computers or from one of the in-flight entertainment systems.

"It's spooky territory," says Wiseman. "Everyone is working hard to make sure nothing happens [to compromise safety] when these systems are installed."

Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland.