Europe opens door to wider use of gadgets on flights

Europe's aviation safety authority and the European Commission have paved the way for passengers to surf the web from smartphones and tablet computers during entire flights, following a similar move by the United States. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a statement that it would publish by the end of November guidance for airlines seeking to widen the usage of gadgets. Current regulations in Europe allow the use of mobile phones for voice calls when flying above 3000 meters but no Internet usage, and not during taxiing, take-off and landing. The European Commission also said on Thursday said it was authorizing the use of mobile spectrum for 3G and 4G technology, which allows users to surf the web and send email, on flights.



via Gadgets News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/europe-opens-door-wider-gadgets-flights-124228577--finance.html