Why wireless doesn’t work at the airport

Making a cellular phone call from the airport is so difficult for Bruce Molsky that he’s all but given up trying.

“I find that it takes many tries to get a call to go through in many airports, and that the signal quality is usually very poor,” he gripes. Even though his mobile provider blames the problem on federally-imposed limits on airport service, “I’ve always cynically thought that it was just a ploy to force us into using those outrageously expensive Airfones.”

Tim Ayers faces the same predicament when he travels. “When I’m at the airport, I’d say about half of my calls go through, and half of them don’t,” he complains. “I’ve also heard the theory that the airlines want you to use those $3-a-minute phones in the seatbacks.”

But Ayers is worried about the misconnections for an entirely different reason. As spokesman for the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association, a Washington trade organization that represents the wireless business, his is a bottom-line concern.

“If you can’t make a connection then our members can’t charge you for the call,” he says.

Either way, there’s no denying that calling from the airport is a challenge. Why? Rumors have been flying within frequent traveler circles faster than bids at an FCC spectrum auction. The buzz is that cellular antennas are banned near airports, that air traffic control interferes with the frequencies used by wireless phones, and even that the control tower uses the same frequency as cell phones.

It’s an issue that’s as controversial as a cellular phone antenna in the suburbs. No one wants to be associated with the story. Deloitte Consulting, usually eager to discuss industry trends, declined to comment on the short-circuiting phones. The Federal Communications Commission didn’t return calls. And the Personal Communications Industry Association, another trade group for the wireless industry, wouldn’t go on the record either.

If I were any more paranoid, I’d be inclined to believe the conspiracy theories about airlines paying off the government and airports to render our wireless devices unusable.

I can understand why no one wants to talk.

Investigators trying to determine the cause of the December crash of Thai Flight 261 are checking out the possibility of a malfunction caused by interference from mobile phone signals during landing. It’s possible that critical altitude-adjustment equipment got jammed by a chatty traveler. If it turns out that a phone is to blame, then an outright ban on cellular phones at airports isn’t inconceivable.

All of which, of course, doesn’t help explain the bad connections. It just adds another element of mystery to a frustrating problem and accounts for the silence of the experts.

Cellular towers aren’t allowed next to an airport primarily because they’re tall and present an obstacle to air traffic. But according to some published reports there’s also an off chance that their radio frequency could interfere with communications between the control tower and aircraft. A recent issue of the trade publication Satellite Communications described radio frequency interference as “unexpected” and a “seemingly nebulous phenomenon.”

“It’s a wily little beast that can render even a well-designed system inoperable,” it noted.” Many engineers have thrown their hands up wondering what went wrong, and many companies have lost millions of dollars dealing with the little beast after the fact. Sometimes the problem can even be irreparable.”

A couple of years ago, for example, a Baltimore father with some electronics knowledge tweaked a baby monitor to give the device just a little extra boost. Airline pilots on approach to Baltimore-Washington International Airport found themselves listening to the babytalk. Air traffic uses a different frequency than baby monitors and cellular phones, to be sure, but the Federal Aviation Administration clearly doesn’t want to take any chances.

Are the air traffic control transmissions interfering with cellular calls?

Highly unlikely, say the mobile phone insiders I asked. A more plausible reason for the malfunctining mobile phones is that there are too many users trying to use the same tower, according to Omnipoint Communications spokesman John Grotland. “There could be a bunch of people using the same carrier,” he explained. “In other words, there may be no room at the inn.”

Another possibility is that because of the remoteness of the cellular towers, there are numerous so-called “dead spots” at airports where a cellular phone call can’t be made. Plus, some multi-level terminals shield passengers from a mobile phone signal on a lower floor, usually in the luggage claim area.

The rumor that airlines are colluding with the FAA, FCC, and airports to make those obscenely expensive on-board phones more profitable isn’t provably false, but it’s highly unlikely. I don’t say this because the agencies and companies involved are ethically above reproach. They aren’t. I say it because airlines and airports can’t seem to agree on anything.

Add two government agencies to the mix and you get a bureaucratic mudwrestling match, not a wireless conspiracy.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

Be the first to comment