On Apr 3, 6:06*pm, "
wrote:

London Underground stations used to have pay phones, though no longer. I
can't understand why they would do that, however, because one cannot get
a signal on their mobile phones on the tube lines.

They also used to have to have Candbury's vending machines, though those
disappeared around 2006/07.

NYC subways still have pay phones. Mobile phones only work in
stations close to the surface, if even that. However, the MTA plans
to contract with vendors to install antenna and provide service. Some
people object to that since they don't want to be disturbed by cell
phone yackers. I certainly don't like cell phone users on trains.

You may have heard about the BART controversy over the cutoff of
mobile service _within_ its system. There were protestors attempting
to disrupt service (and managed to in some cases), and BART had
wireless service cut off so the protestors couldn't coordinate their
attacks.

On 04/04/2012 16:26, wrote:
On Apr 3, 6:06 pm,
wrote:

London Underground stations used to have pay phones, though no longer. I
can't understand why they would do that, however, because one cannot get
a signal on their mobile phones on the tube lines.

They also used to have to have Candbury's vending machines, though those
disappeared around 2006/07.

NYC subways still have pay phones. Mobile phones only work in
stations close to the surface, if even that. However, the MTA plans
to contract with vendors to install antenna and provide service. Some
people object to that since they don't want to be disturbed by cell
phone yackers. I certainly don't like cell phone users on trains.

Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.

On Apr 4, 8:39*pm, "
wrote:

Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.-

That's been around for a while. Ironically, US' Western Union
Telegraph Co. was involved in some pioneer services, but sold out.
They went bankrupt and sold off the WU name; today the business is
wire transfers.

On 05/04/2012 01:39, wrote:
On 04/04/2012 16:26, wrote:
On Apr 3, 6:06 pm,
wrote:

London Underground stations used to have pay phones, though no longer. I
can't understand why they would do that, however, because one cannot get
a signal on their mobile phones on the tube lines.

They also used to have to have Candbury's vending machines, though those
disappeared around 2006/07.

NYC subways still have pay phones. Mobile phones only work in
stations close to the surface, if even that. However, the MTA plans
to contract with vendors to install antenna and provide service. Some
people object to that since they don't want to be disturbed by cell
phone yackers. I certainly don't like cell phone users on trains.

Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.


BA have had built in mobile phones on some routes for several years now.

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

In message , at 08:00:13 on Thu, 5 Apr
2012, Graeme Wall remarked:
Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.

BA have had built in mobile phones on some routes for several years
now.

There's a possibility for confusion between planes with seat-back (or
other) "built-in" phones which you can use, and being able to operate
your own mobile phone from within the plane.

"Dubai-based airline Emirates has become the first commercial
airline to allow passengers to make mobile phone calls during
flights. Emirates said the first permitted mobile phone call was
made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca."

"The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which
stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7308041.stm

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroMobile
--
Roland Perry

On 05/04/2012 09:15, Roland Perry wrote:
In , at 08:00:13 on Thu, 5 Apr
2012, Graeme remarked:
Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.

BA have had built in mobile phones on some routes for several years
now.

There's a possibility for confusion between planes with seat-back (or
other) "built-in" phones which you can use, and being able to operate
your own mobile phone from within the plane.


Being pedantic they are both mobile phone services.

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

In message , at 09:51:38 on Thu, 5 Apr
2012, Graeme Wall remarked:
Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.

BA have had built in mobile phones on some routes for several years
now.

There's a possibility for confusion between planes with seat-back (or
other) "built-in" phones which you can use, and being able to operate
your own mobile phone from within the plane.

Being pedantic they are both mobile phone services.

That's why I wanted to clarify the difference between the two cases, to
avoid confusion.

One is a phone service that's mobile because planes move around, the
other allows use of a subscriber's regular GSM (mobile) phone.
--
Roland Perry

On 05/04/2012 10:04, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:51:38 on Thu, 5 Apr
2012, Graeme Wall remarked:
Emirates aeroplanes are now equipped on certain routes with equipment
that allows in-flight mobile phone service.

BA have had built in mobile phones on some routes for several years
now.

There's a possibility for confusion between planes with seat-back (or
other) "built-in" phones which you can use, and being able to operate
your own mobile phone from within the plane.

Being pedantic they are both mobile phone services.

That's why I wanted to clarify the difference between the two cases, to
avoid confusion.

One is a phone service that's mobile because planes move around,

AIUI it uses mobile phone technology where available, I assume it uses
sat-phone technology when out over the Atlantic.

the
other allows use of a subscriber's regular GSM (mobile) phone.

Which uses exactly the same technology as the built-in phones. The
difference being that the planes' on-board systems (non-phone) have been
proved to be immune from interference by random models of domestic
mobile phones.

As an aside Varig allowed mobile phone use except during take off and
landing some years ago.


--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

"The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which
stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.

Well, sort of. The aircraft is equiped with a pico cell (miniature cell tower)
that instructs the phones to reduce their power output to the minimum. There's
no active interference protection.

In message , at 07:15:25 on
Thu, 5 Apr 2012, Robert Neville remarked:
"The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which
stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.

Well, sort of. The aircraft is equiped with a pico cell (miniature cell tower)
that instructs the phones to reduce their power output to the minimum. There's
no active interference protection.

The interference protection is achieved by that action of "reducing
power". Which is caused by the picocell. It's just different ways of
saying the same thing.
--
Roland Perry