Sacre bleu! Air France launches in-flight mobile calls

Air France has begun a trial of what it's calling the first 'full' in-flight mobile phone service. That means the full combo of voice, text messaging and emails, plus attachments. The last two have already been in-place since December but now its tentatively dipping its toe into mobile phone calls.

Don't go reaching for the ear-plugs just yet, though. It's only being offered on one Airbus A318 operating on routes in Europe for three months and, tellingly, there'll be customer feedback cards to gauge reaction. So if your trip to Paris is peppered with insufferable shouts of, "I'm on the plane! I said I'm on the plane... The plane!", you'll be able to let them know.

The service, which works via satellite, is being offered thanks to OnAir, who are also busy kitting out 25 Ryanair Boeing 737s, due to begin offering calling services from the summer.

What you may find tricky to find out is just how much you'll be charged. Although seat back cards will explain the service, they won't have the crucial pricing info.

OnAir's spokesman Charlie Pryor told us that calls will be set by and charged via callers' normal operators, in the same way as standard roaming rates. What he couldn't say is exactly what that rate would be, though he said it would be, "in line with international roaming rates outside Europe".

When we made a quick call to Vodafone customer services to find out how much it would be charging we were told there was "nothing on the system", while O2's press office said they'd get back to us. There was also nothing on any of the other networks' websites as of this afternoon. Watch out when that bill arrives, then.

[ Press release (PDF)]

Originally published on www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk, now incorporated into Broadband Genie
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