In-flight calling soon to be allowed south of the border
By Tim Stevens 
posted July 24th 2009 7:33AM
posted July 24th 2009 7:33AM
While in-flight WiFi is slowly becoming a reality in more and more jets going to more and more places, in-flight calling seems to be stuck in a holding pattern. Whether that's good or bad news depends on your like or dislike of hearing folks blab on their cellys and/or your propensity for wearing headphones mid-flight. If you answered "love it" or "I don't go nowhere without my Boses" you may want to consider a trip south of the border -- that's Mexico, not the glorified rest stop in South Carolina. Soon, travelers there will no longer have to keep their handsets safely stowed or in airplane mode, with the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, or SCT (the Mexican FCC equivalent), approving cellphones en-masse for flights anywhere in the nation. This cancels an earlier edict made in 2001 banning their use, and while Mexico's federal government still has to approve things, that's not expected to take long. So, who's willing to risk swine flu, gang violence, and other overly-sensationalized risks to get their mid-air talky on?[Thanks, Xavier M.]
@Those who think the sombrero is out of line. Have you ever been to Mexico? Ever heard of mariachis? A national treasure of Mexico. If Mexicans were offended by a sombrero, then why do they sell them in every tourist shop? Would you be offended if a cowboy hat was used as a symbol for the US?
I love the South of the Border in South Carolina! Counting the signs until we got there was awesome on road trips growing up.
Cellphones on planes gets 2 thumbs down from me. WiFi gets 2 thumbs up!
Right. No one should be offended. Just like we Americans should not be offended if they had shown the plane full of gringos and they were all obese.
Pedro sez "Thank you for thinking of me when you write South of the Border."
Well I'm mexican, and I found those comments funny. I guess I'm the only one south of the border who did. The ones who didn't, in my opinion, are being hipocrats cause there are lots of jokes about it here, but if a foreigner tells them then we get offended? But enough with the open/closed minds...
When I'm in the plane the last thing I want to do is be on the phone, I do that a lot on the ground already, and I would hate to have someone next to me talking during the whole flight. But it would be ok for SMS i guess.
Jesus, people are very sensitive nowadays, if you cant be open minded and see the humor on this, then just walk away!, common!, I'm hispanic myself as well, its like the Taco Bell chihuahua commercial, Mexicans complained about it and took it off the air, how retarded can you be and say "that chihuahua represents ME" and be insulted by it, and this is nothing compared to that, GEZZ, and the writer is even defending Mexico by saying how the media here in the US blows things out of proportion!.
And no, bring on WIFI, leave OFF THE PHONES!!!, thats the last thing we need on a plane!!!
TimStevens, great article!
Phones would be annoying but on the other hand couldn't they SKYPE over WiFi and be EXTRA annoying having to see the person they are talking to over webcam?
If you answered "love it" do me a favor, book a flight to Mexico and stay there.
Theodore bangs his sister
The comment was obvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvviously sarcasm towards the american media!!! c`mon guyz dont get all saucy on endgadget!
I`m a mexican in Mexico, I didnt feel offended, its kindda funny.
Back to the topic, this is "cool" I guess... more ways for Slim to bend us over and take more of our money and go back to being the richest guy. And for spoiled kids to have their whole dramatic life conversations next to me when I`m trying to take a nap. =P
@jgalvez
"...you should someday get out of "La condesa, Polanco, Santa Fe, Las Lomas, Insurgentes, etc" so you can see that outside in the other states (specially in the north part where agriculture is the main income) they use sombreros (probably not as big as mariachis but still) and they are pretty similar to the mexican stereotype."
FYI, I'm not from Mexico City, I'm from the north. I actually live really close to one of those rural areas you mentioned and again, people don't use THAT kind of sombreros (like the one shown in the image). And speaking about stereotypes, believe it or not hats are not only used in this country, maybe you are the one who need to see outside to see what is going on in some other countries, don't you think?
"I know it is a big surprise but Mexico is slightly bigger than the fancy areas for rich people that you visit"
Wish I were rich... I keep trying.
♫ South of the border, down Mexico way ♫
Crap, that song is going to be stuck in my head all day.
Maybe they will have phone and no phone sections like when people could smoke on planes. Otherwise air rage is going to take on a whole new meaning. I know they can seat the people with babies and little crying kids in with the cellphone users. Put up nice wall and door then voila problem solved for everyone. I get on put in my ear plugs and sleep. I do not get up till the plane lands I do not chat up an "air friend" I just want to get through the really crappy experience that has become air travel today. Thats why if its 10 hours drive or less away I drive. I get comfortable a seat, music and real food and if I take my shoes off its because I want to get comfortable. In the end I still have only taken the same day I would of wasted in the airports screwing around with the national joke that is the airline industry.
What is cell service like on a plane at 35000 feet anyway?? I've never tried but I can't imagine they are directing signal to those altitudes.
i think they took it to far with the "So, who's willing to risk swine flu, gang violence, and other overly-sensationalized risks to get their mid-air talky on?"
Agreed, that is a completely ignorant remark!
Wow, Ignorant: "So, who's willing to risk swine flu, gang violence, and other overly-sensationalized risks to get their mid-air talky on?"
Please read that sentence again before embarrass yourself further. He is actually criticizing the media for blowing things out of proportion
Swine flu... right, you have a better chance of finding the chupacabras here in Mexico.
Gang violence? you think this is Cholos or something?
There is a lot of violence here in Northen Mexico right now, but not by "gangs"
It's deeply organized crime, and it happens just about anywhere these days, Usually these guys travel heavily armed, most of the time they travel in caravans and kill their targets regardless of who they are with, or where they happen to be. (it can be in a restaurant, in a walmart parking lot, etc.) (www.tiempo.com.mx is a good source of reports with pictures of the aftermath of this.)
They just don't care, they're far better armed than the police can cope with.
One of their latest kills (these guys not only do drug related stuff, but extortions, kidnappings, etc.) was the leader of the Mormon community here in the state of Chihuahua. (these are people that defected from the US when the church was cracking down on poligamists in the 1930's, they have double citizenship, meaning. they're both Mexican/American.) The guy got killed for standing up to the kidnappers of his brother.
If you asked me 10 years ago if i'd ever imagine violence like this here, i'd would've said you're out of your mind.
But, as it turns out things are pretty ugly right now, with anywhere from 2-10 people murdered, execution style daily here.
So yeah, these are no mere "gangs".
Funny thing is if you were here you wouldn't even know it was happening, unless you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. (evryone knows someone that has been close, or witnessed an execution, so i guess the odds of that aren't that low.)
As i finished typing my last comment i read there has been another execution, just about 40 minutes ago.
It's like clockwork. not a day goes by with at least one event like this.
This is in Chihuahua, Chihuahua.
In Juarez Chihuahua they usually kill even more than here in the capital. (though latley it's about the same.)
Let them text instead. I do not want to listen to any more crap on a plane packed shoulder to shoulder with fat smelly people and bratty kids while some asshole has his knees jammed into my back. Now we have to listen to the idiots too? We need hi-speed rail, goddammit.
I'm gonna sidestep the mexican-gang-flu swine-bang stuff, and say what needs to be said:
In the article photo, that is one handsome woman.
Ciao.
Mexican here.
Mexicans getting offended here are idiots. The remark was *NOT* to insult Mexico, but the American Media... and the sombrero image is just part of that...
Ah que mis compatriotas tan idiotas.
TIM GREAT POST, DON'T LET OTHER STOP YOU FROM YOUR WIT. --- Viva your wit!!! :-D
Why do people mention that mexican people are fat when it has nothing to do with the article.
According to WHO the US ranks no 9 most obese country in the world. Mexico is no 19 that is a big gap. Basically americans are fatter.
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html
There are more cases of swine flu in the us even to this day.
http://www.healthmap.org/en
I can understand people can be closed minded but for engadget to mention that in the article its low.