What is meant by mobile communication services on aircraft (MCA)?
It means in-flight phone calls, e-mail type data communication and messages sent or received by passengers using their own everyday mobile phones. It does not include aircraft-specific phones, such as those integrated within the aircraft seat that are made available by some airlines, nor does it cover operational communications made by and to the aircraft’s crew. This service is currently limited to GSM1800 technology. The generic term mobile communication services on aircraft (MCA) is preferred to the previously used “GSM on-board” because other mobile technologies such as 3G could also be deployed in the future, depending on market demand. What are the technical requirements for airlines that wish to offer mobile services to passengers during flights? Airlines need to install MCA equipment, which is being produced by several mobile equipment manufacturers. This consists of a “picocell” (a very small mobile base station or mobile “mast”) and a “Network Control Unit”. The Network Contr
