Holiday-makers are being made aware of a new rule change coming into force as of next summer. People jetting to Europe via airplane will be allowed to make phone calls and use their mobile's internet while in the air, it has been announced.
The move means from next year, airlines operating within the EU will be able to provide 5G to passengers - enabling them to use social media, streaming services and call people. Since plane wi-fi can be unreliable at times, making 5G available would provide travellers with the option to use the internet as much as they like more smoothly.
Air passengers in the EU are currently requested to turn off mobile phones or enable flight mode for the whole journey. This is because historically there was little understanding of how mobile data might affect flight communications, Dai Whittingham, chief executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee, told the BBC. He said: "There was a concern they could interfere with automatic flight control systems," he said. "What has been found with experience is the risk of interference is very small."
