Cingular Opposes Calls on Airplanes

By Ian Bell Published June 16, 2005

USA Today and CNN are both reporting that Cingular has sent a letter to the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission requesting they leave a ban on in flight phone calls. If the ban is lifted, then Cingular will still encourage their customers to use text messaging instead of making calls while in the air.

Cingular spokeswoman Rochelle Cohen told USA Today “that people talking loudly or incessantly on cell phones in trains, restaurants or other closed venues is a constant source of grousing by its customers.”

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Verizon is backing up Cingular’s stance on this by saying there is not a big enough market for cell phones on planes because it would be hard to listen to a conversation.

Last month the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) filed a report with the FCC pushing for the use of cell phones on planes.

Boeing’s, Connexion unit announced that they expect to be selling cell phone services to airline passengers sometime in 2006.

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Network coverage has been steadily improving, but there are still many people around the world who can’t get a decent phone signal in their homes. There are gaps in many networks, particularly in rural areas, as a quick glance at Open Signal’s coverage maps reveals. Wi-Fi calling could be the answer.
What is Wi-Fi calling?
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The beauty of Wi-Fi calling is that it should work seamlessly. Assuming your carrier supports it, you’ve activated the appropriate setting on your phone, and you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, then it should kick in automatically whenever you need it. All the calls you make and messages you send through Wi-Fi calling appear as normal in your usual messages app and call logs.

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Fortunately, you can also record phone calls for future reference, although you’re a bit up-the-creek if you’re rocking an iPhone. For years now, iOS devices haven’t featured any type of built-in recording tool for phone calls — not even the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. That being said, there are a few workarounds.

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