"Hi honey, I can see Paris!" ... from 36000 feet

I learned something today. Apparently, it's really not the onboard electronics, that would go out of whack if we all used mobile phones in airplanes. I suspected that for a long time, because there must be countless phones polling until the cows come home, becuase the respective owner forgot to switch it off. But since I haven't heard any captain announce over the intercom "Folks, our flaps are acting funny today, would you please check that your phones are off!", I guess it can't be such a big deal.

Now, I was told today (can't confirm it, though) that it's not the airlines that want our phones off, but the telecom providers themselves. Why? Because, at least when you're in flight, but still at relaitvely low altitude, the ground speed of the plane would seriously challenge the telecom infrastructure, because all those phones would jump from cell to cell in rapid succession. Sounds reasonable enough, I think.

However, I would still encourage airlines to prohibit passengers from using cellphones, no matter what. Can you imagine a 747 with 400 people elbow-to-elbow and everybody chatting? I mean, I'm already getting annoyed if the guy in the next seat babbles on while we're still at the gate, and because some folks are talking so loud that they wouldn't actually need a phone and you can't just leave the plane, they better keep the ban alive. Or they restrict calls to the lavatory. Uh, they better not.