Goodbye airplane mode, hello 5G: the EU wants to change flight regulations to improve connectivity.

The airplane mode On mobile phones, the days could be numbered. At least with regard to use on airplanes. This has been confirmed since the European Commissionwhen announcing that soon, the passengers on flights within the European Union will have the possibility of using 5G connectivity on their smartphonesthus eliminating the requirement to activate airplane mode on mobile devices.

In the releasethe European Commission explains that passengers will be able to take advantage of the capabilities of their mobile devices to the maximum during flights, just as they would on the ground.

For this, the airlines will incorporate into their fleet of aircraft special network equipmentcalled “picocells”, which will enable the connection of data and calls through the 5G service.

Using the mobile’s airplane mode on flights could no longer be necessary very soon.

5G will reach airplanes and mean goodbye to airplane mode

As reflected in the statement, the airlines will be able to provide 5G technology on their planesas well as previous generations of connection technology.

Thus, the requirement of activate airplane mode on devices when flying. A requirement that, on the other hand, over the years has been losing strength thanks to the laxity of the airlines.

5G will enable innovative services for people and growth opportunities for European companies. The sky is no longer the limit when it comes to the possibilities offered by super-fast, high-capacity connectivity. – Thierry Breton , Commissioner for the Internal Market

At the moment, the European Commission has not shared its roadmap in this regard, and it is unknown When will the implementation of the aforementioned “picocells” begin? throughout the fleet of major airlines.

5G on plans and WI-FI on the road.

This week we’ve updated the implementing decision to use 5G on-board aircraft like being on ground and for Wi-Fi in road transport.

Read more ↓ #DigitalEU

—European Commission (@EU_Commission) November 27, 2022

Apart from the above, from the EU they also announce the modification of a implementing decision on the 5 GHz frequency bands, which will enable Wi-Fi connection in land vehicles, such as cars and buses. The modification implies that Member States will make the 5 GHz bands available for use in vehicles before June 30 of next year.