Those taking off on
gap year travel holidays will soon be able to use their phones on airplanes across Europe.
The European Commission (CC) has announced that it will harmonise the relevant technical and licensing requirements, paving the way for a pan-European mobile communication service.
But EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding was quick to point out that the scheme would only be successful if airlines kept the cost down and kept in-flight disturbance to a minimum.
She warned: "If consumers receive shock phone bills, the service will not take-off.
"I also call on airlines and operators to create the right conditions on board aircraft to ensure that those who want to use in-flight communication services do not disturb other passengers."
In order to ensure essential services are not interrupted, passengers would be required to connect mobile devices to an onboard cellular network, rather than direct to individuals on the ground.
Mobile signals would then be linked to the rest of the network via satellite.
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