No More Airplane Mode On Flights: European Union To Allow Use Of Phone On Flights From 2023

European Union airlines will provide the latest 5G technology to passengers aboard flights without having to put their phones on airplane mode.

Member countries of the European Union have until June 30, 2023, to make all the necessary arrangements to make this a reality. Representative image.

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Flight mode on aircraft is set to become obsolete in the European Union (EU) starting next year. Airlines operating in the EU will allow passengers aboard to use their mobile phones to the maximum of their capacity and features. This will be similar to the facilities they usually enjoy while using their phones with a ground-based 5G mobile network.

Member countries of the European Union have until June 30, 2023, to make all the necessary arrangements to make this a reality. This means the passengers travelling aboard aeroplanes will not have to put their phones in flight mode like now. However, the manner of implementation of the decision remains unclear.

The decision to allow the use of 5G technology will enable passengers on the flight to enjoy additional benefits from data-heavy music and video streaming apps and platforms, according to a press release.

"5G will enable innovative services for people and growth opportunities for European companies. The sky is no longer a limit when it comes to possibilities offered by super-fast, high-capacity connectivity," Commissioner for the Internal market, Thierry Breton, said in a statement.

The Commission "has reserved certain frequencies for mobile communications on planes since 2008." Earlier, it had allowed airlines some limited services to "provide messaging, phone calls, and data services for passengers flying in the EU." The current move to allow mobile communications onboard aircraft paves the way for the "wide-spread deployment of 5G services."

According to the official press release, these services will be made available for passengers "within the cabin of an equipped aircraft using special network equipment known as pico-cell." It will help connect the users, route calls, texts, and data "via a satellite network between the airplane and the ground-based mobile network."

Not just that, the commission has also brought some amendments in the "implementing decision on 5 GHz frequency bands' which ensures the availability of Wi-Fi in road transport. The amendments say that 'member states shall make the 5 GHz frequency bands available for use aboard road vehicles as well." The current development has come amid some concerns in the US that 5G frequencies could end up interfering with flights causing issues in altitude measurements.