How to make in-flight phone calls

Will you be flying to CES2014? Are you finalizing travel arrangements for Embedded World 2014? Then we've got some interesting news about your flight over!

Imagine never having to disconnect from your cell phone while flying again. The ability to talk and text from up in the air has been invented by the company Gogo, and will soon be accessible for every traveler. Gogo keeps people connected via phone calls and text messages, even when cruising at 10,000 ft. above the ground. The company currently allows flyers to download their own portable mobile broadband service so passengers can access the web while in the air. Before takeoff, users need to register their phone number within the downloaded app for in-flight usage. Although companies like American Airlines are already hopping on board with Gogo’s Wi-Fi service, the organization hopes that commercial airlines will soon enable their Talk & Text service for travelers.

Through Gogo’s Talk & Text service, uses will be able to make and receive texts and phone calls through their mobile device within the installed app. Gogo depicts Talk & Text as an extension of your regular cellular network, since it allows users to roam within the network just as users would on land. The system is currently available for a handful of business partners, but not yet ready to hit commercial flights. Gogo will eventually make this service inclusive of their purchasable Wi-Fi bundle, which retails at $49.95 for unlimited monthly usage, and $14.00 for 24 hours of Wi-Fi.

 
In a press release, Gogo's chief marketing officer, Ash ElDifrawi, said, “While we see this as more of a text messaging product for commercial airlines in the United States, the phone functionality is something that some international air carriers and our business aviation customers are asking for.”

“The great part about this technology is that it doesn't require us to install anything new to an aircraft and we can bundle it with or without connectivity,” ElDifrawi explicated. “We have already launched the service with some of our business aviation customers and we are talking with our commercial airline partners about launching the service for their passengers.”

There are many factors to consider before making in-flight phone capabilities a tangible concept of the future, including how realistic this will be for commercial flights. Gogo’s service is truly a double-edged sword; although it seems quite convenient to stay connected with your mobile device on airplanes, is this really what the public wants? While convenient for business people whose time is a hot commodity, this invention seems wonderful, but for those who want uninterrupted rest during flights, not so much. Do frequent flyers really want to hear their seat neighbors’ non-stop blabbing for multiple hours in an enclosed environment? Also, will Talk & Text users be able to hear their phone calls over the airplane’s roaring engines and the wind whipping outside of the cabin? 

As a result of Gogo’s in-flight phone service, sales in noise cancelling headphones could skyrocket. Perhaps Gogo will also release a line of headphones for non-Talk & Text users who want in-flight peace and quiet. Maybe flight companies will develop a sound-proof cabin specially designated for people who feel the need to make incessant chatter during their flight.

So if you’re participating in convention season this year and heading to International Manufacturing Technology 2014 or HR Tech Conference on a private flight, make sure to download the Gogo app to stay grounded while in the air.

Story via The Verge, Gogoair.com