And mobile phones need to be set to flight mode so they can’t cause an emergency for the airplane, right? 2.2 billion passengersWhy then, with these global standards in place, has the aviation industry continued to ban the use of mobile phones? Of course, when it comes to mobile networks, the biggest change in recent years is the move to a new standard. Current 5G wireless networks – desirable for their higher speed data transfer – have caused concern for many within the aviation industry. With new Wi-Fi technologies, passengers could theoretically use their mobile phones to make video calls with friends or clients in-flight.