Is it possible to use a cell phone on a plane?

Question

I'm not interested in using mine, I'm just curious about it.

Is it possible to use it, and if so up to what height?

I'm guessing this varies given your location, so if you're over the middle of the Atlantic you're not going to get service but if you're flying over a populated city you may?

Also, would it have been possible to use them in the not too distant past but not now, because I've been told that older cell phones used to be a lot more powerful, but now aren't to comply with emissions. (I'm not sure if this is true, I've only read it in one place, so if someone could verify this then I'd be grateful)

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, its possible to use a cell phone on a plane depends on your signal & in most cases all commericial airlines it is prohibites the use of cell phone, any ways most of the airlines has a phone on board which you need to use a credit card in order to use. Anyways, the common cellular phone transmits at a different frequency level not the same as the plane.  Anyways most of the time when you travel on the plane you won't get a signal once you take off the signal is weakened & travels at a different frequecy. There is different cellular phone which are very different that uses satellite signals which some military officals use & some people that goes on excursions in the remote mountains/or treks of this world & have that will work, I mean they'll work anywhere..even in a plane, which uses a different signal (satellite signals) as communication. So yes its possible to use a cellular on a plane just a few.

Answer 2

No. Only to a certain hight, then you have tho use the pay phone.

Answer 3

Let's see.  Many cell phones lose coverage if they're more than several miles from a cell tower.

Commercial airlines fly about around 30,000 feet.

30,000 feet = 5.68 miles.

Then of course you will be flying very quickly through different cell coverage, and across places with no cell coverage.

So, you MIGHT get coverage on a given flight.  It's pointless of course, as it'll illegal to try.

Answer 4

No you don't get any service at all. I once forgot to turn off my cell phone and the battery wore out searching for a signal and when I landed I had a hard time finding a pay phone to call my ride and let them know I had landed. The FCC thought about putting cell phone towers on top of the airplane itself, but decided it was just not worth allowing ppl to use their phones on board. It would cause too much noise and it would p**s too many ppl off.