If you are on a flight, the flight attendants will ask you to switch off your mobile phone or put it on flight mode before take off.
Passengers are also advised not to use other electronic devices in the aircraft.
But in most international flights, the use of such devices is permitted once the aircraft reaches a certain altitude. Some aircraft operators have even provided Wi-Fi facilities in the flying aircraft.
Do you know why mobile phones and other electronic devices are not allowed to be used during take-off and landing?
2006 event
According to an account published by BBC Future in 2013, in the 2006 incident, the plane's navigation system worked properly, showing a difference of up to 30 degrees as soon as a passenger switched off the DVD player he was using.
After the person switched on the device, the same problem occurred again, according to a report published in Spectrum, analyzing 125 data on the effects of electronic devices on the flight of the aircraft.
Around the world, it is a practice not to use mobile phones and other electronic devices while flying below 10,000 feet.
Why are mobile phones not allowed on the plane?
According to Devendra Pun, senior technical officer of the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation, there are some practical reasons for not allowing the use of mobile phones in certain situations during flights.
"When the plane reaches a certain height and everything is normal, the pilot allows to open the seat compartment and go to the toilet, and at that stage it is also possible to use the mobile phone," he said.
"But it should not be used during take-off and landing."
He says that not only mobile phones but also radio frequencies and ultrasound frequencies can affect such devices as the navigation and other communication devices used in aircraft are also operated by wireless systems.
According to him, the main reasons are:
Risk of frequency interference
Anxiety about not being able to concentrate
"Sometimes the pilot's communication may not be heard or may be affected by jamming the frequency," he said.
Achutananda Mishra, Assistant Spokesperson of Nepal Telecommunication Authority, also says that there is such a risk.
According to him, a plane flying at a low altitude may have access to the mobile phone frequency and in some cases there is a risk of interference with the pilot's communication.
"Although the frequencies used by the aircraft and mobiles are different, sometimes there is a risk of interference and if this happens, the aircraft's communication may be affected," said Mishra.
In most cases, the mobile network will not show up until after the plane has taken off and landed.
Why is there no mobile network on the plane?
A passenger from the plane of Yeti Airlines that crashed in Pokhara recently has been found live on Facebook.
Experts say that mobile phone networks can be picked up to 40 to 60 meters above ground mobile base transceiver station towers.
Since the ship was seen at a low altitude, it is believed that the mobile network can be accessed from the tower placed at a height.
"You can pick up a mobile even in the plane at a low altitude," says a senior official of Nepal Airlines.
According to him, even though some modern planes have Wi-Fi facility, its use is also stopped during the flight and landing of the plane.
During the landing of the aircraft, the driver, other employees and passengers should also be careful because there may be a risk of operating any equipment during this time.
"Another reason for not using medical devices during landing is because if the passengers' attention is elsewhere, they may not hear the instructions given on the plane," Pun added.
Can using the phone cause a plane crash?
Experts say that using mobile phones or other electronic devices especially during take-off and landing poses a risk to both the passengers and the aircraft.
“A threat to the aircraft means a threat to the passengers. Another thing is that if you don't listen to the announcement on the plane by paying attention to the mobile phone or other devices, sometimes when the turbulence comes (shaking) in the plane, the passengers may also get injured," says Pun of Nepal Airlines Corporation.
But the European Commission has recently given permission to aircraft operators to provide 5G technology with low-speed mobile data even on board aircraft.
This means that aircraft passengers no longer have to keep their mobiles in flight mode and can make phone calls or use mobile data while the aircraft is flying.
However, how it will be implemented is still unclear.
"There were concerns that it could interfere with automatic flight control systems," UK-based Aviation Safety Committee chief executive Dai Whittingham previously told the BBC.
"But experience has shown that the risk of such interference is very low. However, it is recommended to always keep the mobile in airplane mode while in flight."
Source: BBC Nepali
Images source: Nepal Times, Medium, ...
