Business jet users should be able to use their mobile GSM phones onboard their aeroplanes by the end of this year, according to international telecoms provider Telenor.

“Passengers will be able to make and receive mobile phone call calls, and send or receive text messages just as they do on the ground,” said Graham Lake, Arinc vp and md, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “It’s not a question of whether mobile phones will be used on aircraft. It is merely a question of when.”

In collaboration with Arinc, Telenor will soon market the new type of technology long-awaited by both the business jet and airline communities.

Telenor has designed a Pico Cell, which is a cellphone repeater and interface, for use on aircraft which are already fitted with an Inmarsat Aero H or Swift 64 system. Such systems are reportedly deployed on more than  3,500 aircraft worldwide.

Said Telenor Satellite Services’ Thomas Surface: “We feel this could be a very lucrative market because there is a huge amount of demand for the technology. The business jet community wants to be able to take up their handheld phones, make calls and use short message services (SMS).

“There are obviously other service providers who are looking at producing similar types of technologies but we feel, from our point of view, Telenor is well placed to do this very successfully because operators will be using equipment already installed on their aircraft. Additionally, Telenor is already a major GSM service provider with more than 220 roaming agreements.”

Surface says business jet owners and operators will we looking at a minor investment to upgrade their aircraft for mobile phone usage.