VoIP on a plane?

Posted by Caitlin on September 30th, 2009

Federal regulations prohibit passengers from using cell phones while an airplane is in flight. But as Wi-Fi becomes available on more and more planes, some passengers have discovered that they are able to make phone calls using VoIP. While many airlines in other countries offer in-flight cell phone service, a bill in Congress seeks to ban all in-flight voice communications. In the meantime, many airlines that offer Wi-Fi claim to block Internet-based phone calls, due to concerns about competition for bandwidth as well as in-cabin noise levels. Despite this supposed ban, plenty of passengers find that Skype and other Internet-based phone services currently work fine on many flights.

Whether Congress passes a bill banning all in-cabin phone use, or airlines make a more concerted attempt to enforce their existing policies remain to be seen. But for now, the passengers who do take advantage of their ability to make Internet-based phone calls in the air don't seem to be encountering any problems.

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