Telecommunications vendor Ericsson has introduced a newly developed GSM system for aircraft, allowing airplane passengers to use their mobile phones on board commercial flights.

Ericsson has developed an airborne version of its radio base station in the RBS 2000 family, the RBS 2708.

Fully integrated with an Electromagnetic Screening Device and housed in an Avionics standard enclosure, the equipment is supposedly easy to install and safe in operation: not interfering with neither avionics nor terrestrial radio networks. The system offers up to 60 simultaneous calls and also offers dual band support as an option.

The system is available for installations late in 2005.