In-Flight Cell Phones Need Path to Antennas
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From Times Wire Reports
Passengers on the hijacked airliners were able to dial 911 or call relatives to say goodbye because their planes were within range of ground-based cellular network antennas.
In-flight cell phone calls are illegal because of concerns the signals could interfere with navigational equipment. Of course, that was not a concern of the desperate people who telephoned from Tuesday’s flights.
Though mobile phones are not designed for air-to-ground communication, they work if they have a direct line of sight to a cell tower.
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