Would you fly in chattering class?
关键词： Mobile phones，chatteriMobile phones on planes
Would you fly in chattering class?
你想乘坐通话舱吗？
Sep 7th 2006
From The Economist print edition
The use of mobile phones on planes moves another step closer
在客机上打手机的日子离我们不远了
LIKE it or not, the prospect of being able to use mobile phones on aeroplanes is inching ever closer. Last
week Ryanair, a European low-cost carrier, announced that it would equip its entire fleet of Boeing 737s with small base stations, called picocells, provided by OnAir, a technology company backed by Airbus,
Europe's aviation giant. The picocells will use satellite links to allow mobile phones to be used during
flight without interfering with ground-based networks. (Such interference, rather than safety concerns, is the primary reason that in-flight use of mobile phones is banned at the moment.) Taking a cut of the resulting revenues will help Ryanair to keep its ticket prices down, according to Michael O'Leary, the
firm's boss.
不论你喜欢与否，在客机上使用移动电话的日子正逐渐向我们靠近。上周，欧洲廉价航空公司瑞恩航空（Ryanair）宣布该公司将为旗下的所有波音737s客机安装一种名为picocell的小型基站，该基站由OnAir公司（一家技术公司，空中客车为其提供技术支持）提供。Picocell将使用卫星网络支持移动电话在飞行中进行通讯，并且不会干扰到地面网络。（这种干扰便是客机上禁用移动电话的首要原因，安全考虑尚在其次。）公司老板Michael O'Leary说，由此而获得的部分收入将有助于公司保持低廉的票价。
But it is uncertain just how popular, and hence how lucrative, in-flight calling will be. The technical obstacles have been overcome and regulatory approval is expected soon—at least in Europe. Regulators are expected to issue guidelines in the next few weeks defining which frequencies can be used and
national aviation authorities will start certifying airlines' installations early next year. OnAir says it
expects its technology to be approved in time for Air France to launch in-air calling on an Airbus A318 in the first quarter of 2007.
但空中通话服务的受欢迎程度尚无定论，因此钱途并不明朗。技术障碍已经克服，监管的许可也指日可待——至少欧洲如此。监管部门有望在几周内公布相关准则，确定其可用频段，美国民航局将于明年初开始检验客机的安装情况。OnAir公司希望及时得到技术许可，以便于2007年第一季度为法航（Air France）的一架空中巴士A318安装空中通话系统。
Mobile phones must still surmount social obstacles, however. Will people flock to airlines that offer in- flight calling, or avoid them? And how much will callers be prepared to pay? OnAir, its rival AeroMobile and other firms have conducted a series of surveys in an attempt to find out.
当然，移动电话还须克服社会障碍。人们对提供空中通话服务的班机是趋之若骛还是退避三舍？手机用户将支付多少费用？OnAir公司和其竞争对手AeroMobile公司以及其他公司已经就此进行了一系列调查以便得到答案。
According to the latest survey, released by OnAir this week, 80% of airline passengers approve of the idea of being able to use telephones on aircraft, even if they do not plan to do so themselves. Indeed, only 54% of business travellers and 41% of leisure travellers said they would switch their phones on during a flight. One reason is cost: George Cooper, the boss of OnAir, says that at prices above $3 per
minute, “demand drops off considerably”, according to the firm's research. He expects $2.50 per minute
to be the norm when services based on his firm's technology are launched by Air France, Ryanair, bmi and TAP Portugal. But OnAir will then cut its prices by 10% a year for five years, he says.
OnAir公司本周公布的最新调查结果显示，80%的乘客对空中通话表示赞成，即使他们自己并不打算这么做。事实上，只有54%的商务乘客和41%的旅游乘客表示他们将在飞行途中打开手机。原因之一是成本：OnAir的老板George Cooper 说：据该公司研究，空中通话费在每分钟3美元以上时需求会大幅下降。他希望当法航，瑞恩航空，英伦航空（bmi），葡萄牙航空（TAP Portugal）推行基于其公司技术的服务时，价格能控制在每分钟2.50美元。但那样的话，OnAir得在今后五年内以每年10%的幅度降低话费。
Previous surveys have painted a less rosy picture. One survey of young mobile-phone users, carried out last year by IDC and SMS.ac, a mobile portal, found that 64% of young people favoured in-flight texting, and only 11% liked the idea of making calls. And 82% of respondents agreed with the statement “I don't
want people talking on their phones during flights.”
此前的调查结果则并不乐观。IDC（国际数据中心） 和 SMS.ac（手机门户网站）实施的一项对年轻手机用户的调查发现，64%的年轻人更喜欢在客机上发短信，而只有11%的人喜欢在客机上打电话。82%的受访者表示“不愿意在飞行中听到别人打电话"。
Another, more rigorous survey, carried out in America for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a flight attendants' union, found that 63% of those polled thought the ban on in-flight calling should be maintained. Concern over noisy passengers shouting into their phones, cited by 68% of people, topped
the list of objections; only 2% worried that the use of phones might somehow help terrorists. (The AFA- CWA's objection to in-flight calling seems to be that it will make it harder for flight attendants to keep
order.)
另外，一项受空乘人员工会（the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA）委托在美国展开的更为细致的调查发现，63%的被访者认为空中通话禁令应该保持。68%的被访者表示了对通话时大声喧嚣的乘客的担忧，高居反对理由榜首；只有2%的人担心使用移动电话可能让恐怖分子有机可乘。（AFA-CWA反对空中通话的理由似乎是这将导致机舱服务员难以维持秩序。）
And when America's telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, requested public comments on in-flight calling, it received thousands of mostly negative responses. “Please no. No,” read one response. “I object to this in the strongest terms. I can't believe you are even considering it.” America's airlines seem to share this lack of enthusiasm for the idea. Both United and Delta say their customers do not want it.
当美国的电信监管部门——美国联邦通信委员会(Federal Communications Commission)要求公众对空中通话发表评论时，它收到了数以千计的答复，其中绝大多数是反对的声音。其中一份答复这样说道“请不要，不行！我强烈反对这样做。我不敢相信你们居然会考虑这样的事情。”美国航空公司似乎同样对此缺乏热情，联合航空（United）和三角洲航空（Delta）认为他们的顾客并不想要这项服务。
But in-flight calling is coming to Asia. AeroMobile, a joint venture between Telenor, a Norwegian mobile operator, and ARINC, a technology firm, says it plans to launch in-air services with Qantas and a second, unnamed Asian airline. “We're exploiting the fact that any flights over the ocean do not require
regulatory approval,” says Peter Tuggey of AeroMobile.
但空中通话服务正向亚洲走来。挪威电信运营商Telenor和技术公司ARINC的合资企业AeroMobile表示它计划与Qantas和另外一家亚洲航空公司（名称未提及）一起推出空中通话。AeroMobile的Peter Tuggey说：“我们正利用这样一个事实，即任何越洋飞机都不需要监管许可。”
So the availability of in-flight communications seems likely to vary widely. Offering such a service, or not offering it, could enable airlines to differentiate themselves on particular routes. They could also impose quiet periods or mobile-free cabins. On long-haul flights, texting and Wi-Fi access might prove more attractive than voice-calling, provided the price is right—though Boeing recently axed Connexion, its impressive but little used satellite-based in-flight broadband service.
所以空中通话服务的可行性似乎“因地而异”。提供这项服务与否，将使航空公司分道扬镳。他们可能也会安排“静默期”或“空中通话服务舱”。在长途飞行中，发短信和无线上网可能比通话更有吸引力，前提是价格合理——尽管波音（Boeing）最近关闭了其Connexion部门（其华而不实的靠卫星传输的空中宽带服务。）
In-flight calling may in fact prove best suited to short-haul, low-cost flights. After all, people choose
Ryanair and other low-cost carriers because of their low prices—not because they enjoy the flight. So the prospect of other passengers shouting into their phones may not put people off. Quite the opposite, in
fact, if it can help to subsidise low ticket prices.
空中通话服务可能最适合短途，廉价飞行。毕竟，人们选择瑞恩航空（Ryanair）和其他廉价航空公司是因为他们低廉的价格，而非喜欢这些公司的服务。所以别的乘客通话时大声喧嚣的潜在问题也不会吓跑其顾客。事实上，如果该服务能降低票价，结果将恰恰相反。
Copyright © 2006 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.
Would you fly in chattering class?
你想乘坐通话舱吗？
Sep 7th 2006
From The Economist print edition
The use of mobile phones on planes moves another step closer
在客机上打手机的日子离我们不远了
LIKE it or not, the prospect of being able to use mobile phones on aeroplanes is inching ever closer. Last
week Ryanair, a European low-cost carrier, announced that it would equip its entire fleet of Boeing 737s with small base stations, called picocells, provided by OnAir, a technology company backed by Airbus,
Europe's aviation giant. The picocells will use satellite links to allow mobile phones to be used during
flight without interfering with ground-based networks. (Such interference, rather than safety concerns, is the primary reason that in-flight use of mobile phones is banned at the moment.) Taking a cut of the resulting revenues will help Ryanair to keep its ticket prices down, according to Michael O'Leary, the
firm's boss.
不论你喜欢与否，在客机上使用移动电话的日子正逐渐向我们靠近。上周，欧洲廉价航空公司瑞恩航空（Ryanair）宣布该公司将为旗下的所有波音737s客机安装一种名为picocell的小型基站，该基站由OnAir公司（一家技术公司，空中客车为其提供技术支持）提供。Picocell将使用卫星网络支持移动电话在飞行中进行通讯，并且不会干扰到地面网络。（这种干扰便是客机上禁用移动电话的首要原因，安全考虑尚在其次。）公司老板Michael O'Leary说，由此而获得的部分收入将有助于公司保持低廉的票价。
But it is uncertain just how popular, and hence how lucrative, in-flight calling will be. The technical obstacles have been overcome and regulatory approval is expected soon—at least in Europe. Regulators are expected to issue guidelines in the next few weeks defining which frequencies can be used and
national aviation authorities will start certifying airlines' installations early next year. OnAir says it
expects its technology to be approved in time for Air France to launch in-air calling on an Airbus A318 in the first quarter of 2007.
但空中通话服务的受欢迎程度尚无定论，因此钱途并不明朗。技术障碍已经克服，监管的许可也指日可待——至少欧洲如此。监管部门有望在几周内公布相关准则，确定其可用频段，美国民航局将于明年初开始检验客机的安装情况。OnAir公司希望及时得到技术许可，以便于2007年第一季度为法航（Air France）的一架空中巴士A318安装空中通话系统。
Mobile phones must still surmount social obstacles, however. Will people flock to airlines that offer in- flight calling, or avoid them? And how much will callers be prepared to pay? OnAir, its rival AeroMobile and other firms have conducted a series of surveys in an attempt to find out.
当然，移动电话还须克服社会障碍。人们对提供空中通话服务的班机是趋之若骛还是退避三舍？手机用户将支付多少费用？OnAir公司和其竞争对手AeroMobile公司以及其他公司已经就此进行了一系列调查以便得到答案。
According to the latest survey, released by OnAir this week, 80% of airline passengers approve of the idea of being able to use telephones on aircraft, even if they do not plan to do so themselves. Indeed, only 54% of business travellers and 41% of leisure travellers said they would switch their phones on during a flight. One reason is cost: George Cooper, the boss of OnAir, says that at prices above $3 per
minute, “demand drops off considerably”, according to the firm's research. He expects $2.50 per minute
to be the norm when services based on his firm's technology are launched by Air France, Ryanair, bmi and TAP Portugal. But OnAir will then cut its prices by 10% a year for five years, he says.
OnAir公司本周公布的最新调查结果显示，80%的乘客对空中通话表示赞成，即使他们自己并不打算这么做。事实上，只有54%的商务乘客和41%的旅游乘客表示他们将在飞行途中打开手机。原因之一是成本：OnAir的老板George Cooper 说：据该公司研究，空中通话费在每分钟3美元以上时需求会大幅下降。他希望当法航，瑞恩航空，英伦航空（bmi），葡萄牙航空（TAP Portugal）推行基于其公司技术的服务时，价格能控制在每分钟2.50美元。但那样的话，OnAir得在今后五年内以每年10%的幅度降低话费。
Previous surveys have painted a less rosy picture. One survey of young mobile-phone users, carried out last year by IDC and SMS.ac, a mobile portal, found that 64% of young people favoured in-flight texting, and only 11% liked the idea of making calls. And 82% of respondents agreed with the statement “I don't
want people talking on their phones during flights.”
此前的调查结果则并不乐观。IDC（国际数据中心） 和 SMS.ac（手机门户网站）实施的一项对年轻手机用户的调查发现，64%的年轻人更喜欢在客机上发短信，而只有11%的人喜欢在客机上打电话。82%的受访者表示“不愿意在飞行中听到别人打电话"。
Another, more rigorous survey, carried out in America for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a flight attendants' union, found that 63% of those polled thought the ban on in-flight calling should be maintained. Concern over noisy passengers shouting into their phones, cited by 68% of people, topped
the list of objections; only 2% worried that the use of phones might somehow help terrorists. (The AFA- CWA's objection to in-flight calling seems to be that it will make it harder for flight attendants to keep
order.)
另外，一项受空乘人员工会（the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA）委托在美国展开的更为细致的调查发现，63%的被访者认为空中通话禁令应该保持。68%的被访者表示了对通话时大声喧嚣的乘客的担忧，高居反对理由榜首；只有2%的人担心使用移动电话可能让恐怖分子有机可乘。（AFA-CWA反对空中通话的理由似乎是这将导致机舱服务员难以维持秩序。）
And when America's telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, requested public comments on in-flight calling, it received thousands of mostly negative responses. “Please no. No,” read one response. “I object to this in the strongest terms. I can't believe you are even considering it.” America's airlines seem to share this lack of enthusiasm for the idea. Both United and Delta say their customers do not want it.
当美国的电信监管部门——美国联邦通信委员会(Federal Communications Commission)要求公众对空中通话发表评论时，它收到了数以千计的答复，其中绝大多数是反对的声音。其中一份答复这样说道“请不要，不行！我强烈反对这样做。我不敢相信你们居然会考虑这样的事情。”美国航空公司似乎同样对此缺乏热情，联合航空（United）和三角洲航空（Delta）认为他们的顾客并不想要这项服务。
But in-flight calling is coming to Asia. AeroMobile, a joint venture between Telenor, a Norwegian mobile operator, and ARINC, a technology firm, says it plans to launch in-air services with Qantas and a second, unnamed Asian airline. “We're exploiting the fact that any flights over the ocean do not require
regulatory approval,” says Peter Tuggey of AeroMobile.
但空中通话服务正向亚洲走来。挪威电信运营商Telenor和技术公司ARINC的合资企业AeroMobile表示它计划与Qantas和另外一家亚洲航空公司（名称未提及）一起推出空中通话。AeroMobile的Peter Tuggey说：“我们正利用这样一个事实，即任何越洋飞机都不需要监管许可。”
So the availability of in-flight communications seems likely to vary widely. Offering such a service, or not offering it, could enable airlines to differentiate themselves on particular routes. They could also impose quiet periods or mobile-free cabins. On long-haul flights, texting and Wi-Fi access might prove more attractive than voice-calling, provided the price is right—though Boeing recently axed Connexion, its impressive but little used satellite-based in-flight broadband service.
所以空中通话服务的可行性似乎“因地而异”。提供这项服务与否，将使航空公司分道扬镳。他们可能也会安排“静默期”或“空中通话服务舱”。在长途飞行中，发短信和无线上网可能比通话更有吸引力，前提是价格合理——尽管波音（Boeing）最近关闭了其Connexion部门（其华而不实的靠卫星传输的空中宽带服务。）
In-flight calling may in fact prove best suited to short-haul, low-cost flights. After all, people choose
Ryanair and other low-cost carriers because of their low prices—not because they enjoy the flight. So the prospect of other passengers shouting into their phones may not put people off. Quite the opposite, in
fact, if it can help to subsidise low ticket prices.
空中通话服务可能最适合短途，廉价飞行。毕竟，人们选择瑞恩航空（Ryanair）和其他廉价航空公司是因为他们低廉的价格，而非喜欢这些公司的服务。所以别的乘客通话时大声喧嚣的潜在问题也不会吓跑其顾客。事实上，如果该服务能降低票价，结果将恰恰相反。
Copyright © 2006 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.
Trackback
你可以使用这个链接引用该篇文章 http://publishblog.blogchina.com/blog/tb.b?diaryID=6274286