What next?
It's not often we refer to stories from the New Scientist, but the science publication has recently made an intriguing suggestion: that the bombs recently discovered on a couple of cargo flights may affect not just the carriage of printer cartridges, but may halt the roll-out of in-flight Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity.
The reason is not that people think explosives may be integrated into Wi-Fi modules, but rather that wireless networks may be used to detonate explosive devices.
The printer-bombs found had mobile phones integrated into them, you see, and the fear is that their use as detonators could be expanded beyond just the utilisation of their clocks - as was the case in the 2004 Madrid train bombings - to more active control. Right now there is no wireless connectivity at altitude, but satellite-based broadband and mobile connectivity would change that.
"If it were to be possible to transmit directly from the ground to a plane over the sea, that would be scary," Sidney Alford, an explosive consultant, in the New Scientist piece. "Or if a passenger could use a cellphone to transmit to the hold of the aeroplane he is in, he could become a very effective suicide bomber."
Aurélie Branchereau-Giles, whose company makes in-flight connectivity systems, said: "There are many ways of coordinating an attack without using a mobile phone. The position of our security experts is that the use of mobile phones on planes does not constitute any additional security threat."
Ironically, much of the demand for the roll-out for in-flight mobile networks is the apparent potential hazard posed by people turning on their phones while the plane is still airborne. Of course it would also be a compelling additional service for passengers, especially on long-haul flights.
