Rose Cantine » mobile

UK will allow mobile phones on airplanes

esme — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:38:48 +0000

As if the experience of flying weren’t bad enough already with lousy (or non-existent) airline food, precious little leg room, massive delays, packed flights and idiotic security “theater” measures, here comes Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulatory authority, with a deranged plan to make the flying experience completely unbearable: Ofcom is allowing UK-registered airlines to let passengers use mobile phones on flights.

In addressing the question of “potential discomfort and anti-social behaviour” (I love the use of the word “potential” as in the “potential” of me falling to the ground if I jump off the top of a building), Ofcom leaves it up to the airlines who are certainly to be trusted in ensuring the welfare of passengers.

The Ofcom document says in part:

Â . . . Some of the responses to the consultation also raised concerns about passenger welfare and the potential for discomfort, anti-social behaviour and â€œair rageâ€ on board. At an operational level, such considerations fall to the airlines and Ofcom notified the CAA of the non-confidential comments received during the consultation and passed comments on to them. Security concerns were also expressed and these fall within the remit of the Department for Transport (DfT) – Transport Security Branch. These issues are outside Ofcomâ€™s remit and it will be for these regulatory bodies to consider the safety, welfare and security issues relevant to them.

1.6 The UK CAA, in liaison with the Department for Transport (DfT), requires that airlines have appropriate procedures to deal with disruptive passenger events and further requires that such events are notified through the formal reporting system.Â

Here’s my response: if an airline allows calls on flights, I will most definitely look for ways NOT to fly on their planes.

Why the French are ahead in broadband; will free mobile calls for ads work

esme — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:33:52 +0000

The French don’t just have better food and clothes, they have faster, cheaper broadband too. In Paris you get 50 Mbps symmetrical for 30 EUR per month! Want to know how they got there? The French regulator comes down very hard on France Telecom (read here).

How’s Blyk (the free-mobile-calls-for-ads) doing? Not bad. Will this business model fly? Here’s my take on it.

The problem with mobile Internet today: expensive data plans and roaming charges

esme — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:25:37 +0000

In the past few weeks, I have attended two conferences, Mobile 2.0 in San Francisco and Nokia’s Mobile Mashup in Palo Alto, on the supposedly new world of mobile Internet, a paradise where everyone can use these incredible applications on their mobile phones AND access the Internet in all its glory. Unfortunately we’re stuck with a basic reality: expensive data plans and the attendant roaming charges when you go abroad. Until I can get a cheap, flat-rate, all-you-can-eat worldwide monthly data service plan, I am not going to use these applications. Of course, I already use Google maps, search and visit a variety of websites on my mobile phone using Wi-Fi when I can find it. But Wi-Fi is not yet everywhere and it’s still sometimes a hassle to use: login screens that make you type in long characters (on a cell phone this is very unpleasant), having to pay every time you log on to a different network. Until we have cheap flat rate plans and no roaming charges, I’m afraid it’s a waste of time to develop these apps and attend these events.

UPDATE: SFR, the French operator, launched their version of “unlimited” mobile 3G Internet access. Click here to see the press release and here to see the article with video clip on Journal du Net. Several problems with this:

There are 3 different tariffs (39, 49 and 69 EUR) with various services, like mobile TV associated with them. I find it confusing.
You have to sign up for 12 to 24 months. What if you just want access when you are in France occasionally?
Works only with certain phones.

If this is the mobile operator’s way to encourage mobile Internet use, good luck.