Can I use a personal satellite phone/Internet connection as a passenger in a plane?
I am reading some contradictory statements regarding the use of a personal satellite phone/Internet connection in a plane. E.g.:
https://www.bluecosmo.com/satellite-phones
Hardened structures, buildings, mountains, and heavy tree cover can all negatively affect your signal. Pilots often leave a satellite phone or an Iridium GO! on the dashboard of their plane’s cockpit to receive a signal.
https://www.outfittersatellite.com/5-Common-Myths-about-Satellite-Phones_b_19.html:
You can absolutely use a satellite phone indoors, whether in a building, car, boat, airplane, or any other enclosed space as long as you install an unobstructed antenna on the outside of the vehicle or structure. Outfitter Satellite carries kits for in-building, in-vehicle, in-aircraft, and marine satellite phones. The idea of always needing to step outside or lean dangerously out a car window to use your satellite phone is incorrect.
The first statement claims that the device might be used within the plane whereas the second one mention it is required to have an antenna outside the plane, which confuses me.
Can I use a personal satellite phone/Internet connection as a passenger in a plane? By "can", I mean both legally and technically (= will it have a usable connection, assuming that I cannot plant an antenna on the outside of the plane prior to the flight).
Best Answer
Others have addressed the question from the point of view of whether you can (technically), and whether you can (legally), use your satellite phone during your flight. However there is one other aspect you should consider, and that is whether you should use your satellite phone during your flight.
I, and I think many others, see such travel time as an opportunity to be quiet and welcome being temporarily uncontactable. You don't state the purposes in which you would need to use your satellite phone, but even if you can, you should first ask yourself (for example): "will I be disturbing my fellow passengers?", "is this call really that urgent that it cannot wait until we are back on the ground?", or "am I really going to get fired for being uncontactable for a couple of hours?"
Of course, there may be emergency situations, like: you are the president and war has broken out, or your partner's baby has arrived and you need to rebook your return to go back home as quickly as possible, but not much else comes to mind.
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Can I use my own internet on a plane?
Many airlines today offer Wi-Fi service during flights so you can check your email, browse the Internet and chat with friends online. The service works on any Wi-Fi device, including laptops, tablets and smartphones, and works even while your device is in airplane mode.Can I use my phone Wi-Fi on a plane?
Passengers are now allowed to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth while a device is on Airplane mode, but make sure the cellular connection is still inactivated. It's a hassle to be cut off from family and friends on the ground, especially on long-haul flights, but airlines have a good reason.What happens if you use internet on a plane?
The National Transportation Safety Board has never issued a recommendation about personal electronic devices on planes. In fact, there is no documented case in which electromagnetic interference from a portable electronic device contributed to a plane crash.Do Wi-Fi hotspots work on planes?
Yes, depending on what you mean by "work". Even when the cellular reception from the local towers goes away the Jetpack will continue to function as a local home router without internet access.HOW does WIFI WORK on AIRPLANES? Explained by CAPTAIN JOE
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Answer 2
Both your quotes only address the technical aspect of it, and make it clear you need to be in a position where the signal from the satellites is not obstructed by the structure of the plane, which is nearly impossible in most planes.
A window seat is unlikely to make much of a difference. On most planes, windows are small, often very badly placed (quite low), and offer a very limited view of the sky. Considering that the satellites involved move quite quickly, the limited field of view makes it very difficult to have a satellite in sight (and actually pointing towards you) quite. Also it would be interesting to check the bands used by the various sat phone systems, it’s quite possible the wavelength actually exceeds the size of the windows!
It is possible that more recent planes (787, 350) which use composite materials behave differently in that respect, but I don’t know the properties of the composite materials involved, and I don’t know if the main structure of the plane uses them.
In terms of regulations, I’m pretty sure this isn’t allowed by many or most countries and/or airlines.
Answer 3
Of course not.
Radio transmitters/receivers are specifically forbidden UNLESS a specific device on the exception list (mainly phones & tablets). I can't count the number of times I've heard "everything with a transmit or receive function must be turned off"
The airline is likely to enforce this, since they want to make money out of you using their WIFI instead.
For United, for example, see: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/devices.html
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