If you do not want cell phone chatting while flying

[TexasProgresive]

63. There is at present no sattelite cell service that most would use

Sat phones use satellites in a geostable orbit some 23,000 miles up. At this distance there is a very noticeable delay between what is spoken and what is heard. The phones are large and need to be oriented to the satellite.

There was a company that had a number of satellites in a low orbit. Each satellite was a cell site with the capability of passing calls to the next satellite coming over the horizon. The company could not generate enough interest and without funding allowed the orbits to decay- they are all burned up.

Here's an interesting article from the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/14/technology/14CELL.html
It is from 2001. I would be interested in reading a white paper on why or why not cell service would work dependable in an high altitude aircraft. What I know of radio transmission and reception says not well. Adding, and as grumpy as some cell user are added to the frustration of modern air travel, I see the potential for some bad behavior.