No More Airplane Mode on Flights in EU
Listen to the article (Canadian accent)
The European Union (EU) has decided that airlines can let passengers use mobile data like 5G technology on airplanes.
This means that passengers on planes might not have to put their phones on airplane mode. How or when airlines will change the rule is not clear.
With the EU’s decision, all EU countries have to make 5G available for airplanes by June 30, 2023.
When the technology is available, people can use the internet on their phones and make calls. However, the airlines will decide the rules.
Some airlines have offered internet access during flights since 2008, but the service is usually slow. The new system will use 5G which means faster download speed.
Dai Whittingham, chief executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee, said that airplane mode was important because we did not know a lot about cell phone technology and airplanes. People were worried that cell phones might interfere with the airplane’s computers.
Wittingham says that there is still concern about 5G in the US and airplanes. The 5G in the US uses stronger power and might be a problem. However, 5G in Europe uses lower power and will be safe to use on airplanes.
Vocabulary20 words
- The European Union
- 27 countries in Europe that work closely together
- Decide
- to choose something; make a choice from many different options; choose; select
- Airline
- a company that moves people by airplane (Lufthansa, Etihad, KLM, Delta, etc.)
- Let
- allow; give permission to; say OK
- Passenger
- a person who is traveling in a vehicle, or on a train or plane, but is not driving it or working on it
- Mobile data
- internet content delivered to mobile devices like phones; all information sent from and received by your phone
- Might not have to
- maybe won’t have to; possibly won’t need to
- Airplane mode
- a mobile setting that switches off your phone's connection to cellular and Wi-Fi networks
- Decision
- a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities/options; choice; ruling;
- Available
- able to be used: ready for use; accessible
- Make a call
- to call; to telephone; to use the phone to talk to someone; to dial out
- Offer
- to make something available for sale or use
- Access
- to be able to use, enter, or get near something; use a service
- Flight
- a trip on a plane; travel by airplane
- Service
- a business that offers a particular type of help or work; utility; system
- Chief executive
- someone in a high management position; director; head;
- Worry
- to be/feel concerned or nervous; to be troubled; to think a lot about a negative situation
- Interfere
- to stop something from happening; If something or someone interferes with a situation or a process, it spoils it or prevents its progress; disrupt;
- Concern
- worry; anxiousness; anxiety; unease; distress;
- the US
- USA; The United States of America
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