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High-Wire Act When can we use our cell phones in the air, already?

By Christopher Elliott

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Can your cell phone fly? It's a timely and controversialquestion, according to Terry Wiseman, publisher of the in-flightentertainment newsletter Airfax.

By the end of this year, at least three airlines-Air Canada,Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines-will offer on-board Internetconnections. And soon after that, airlines could begin testingsystems that would allow you to use wireless devices while theaircraft is in flight.

The possibility that electronic interference may affect anaircraft's navigational system remains a major concern in theairline industry and a roadblock to widespread freedom to use cellphones. Until airlines resolve the issue, business travelers willhave to be content to check e-mail from their laptop computers orfrom one of the in-flight entertainment systems.

"It's spooky territory," says Wiseman."Everyone is working hard to make sure nothing happens [tocompromise safety] when these systems are installed."


Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland.Contact him at www.elliott.org.

Christopher Elliott is an Orlando, Fla., writer and independent producer who specializes in technology, travel and mobile computing. His work has appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines and online. You can find out more about him on his website or sign up for his free weekly newsletter.

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