The Federal Communications Commission has killed its long, drawn out consideration of cell phones on passenger airplanes by deciding against allowing their use. But the commission didn't close the door on in-flight Internet access, and the 300-member Wi-Fi Alliance believes the wireless vacuum on planes will soon be filled by wireless data-access technology.

Karen Hanley, senior marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, said in an interview Wednesday that she expects Wi-Fi will be available in aircraft. "People want to stay connected" on planes, she said, adding that passengers -- particularly on long flights -- will use the technology to surf the Internet, do e-mail, and search. "And, they'll even want to find a restaurant at their destination."

And AirCell, a company with spectrum that could be used to provide Wi-Fi service on aircraft, has said it hopes to eventually rollout Wi-Fi service for airline passengers.

In Europe, trials of wireless service for mobile phone users have been underway for several months. OnAir, which counts aircraft manufacturer AirBus as a partner, has asked European regulators to exempt its cell phone service from spectrum licensing and the European Commission so far has favored that approach

"OnAir's services will allow passengers to use their mobile phones, PDAs, and laptops in exactly the same way as they do when they are on the ground," OnAir stated recently. Users will be able "to make and receive calls, to send and receive text and picture messages and emails, and to access the Internet."

The FCC's look into in-flight cell phone use got underway in December 2004 and its demise Tuesday was the second major setback for establishing wireless connectivity in passenger aircraft on U.S. flights. Last year, Boeing's Connexion in-flight Internet access service was dropped after the airline manufacturer spent a reported $1 billion on the technology. The Boeing service was popular with passengers, but it was only available on international flights because the FCC never approved the service. In terminating the cell phone proceeding, the FCC said it may "reconsider this issue at a later time if appropriate technical data is available."

The Wi-Fi Alliance's Hanley said she couldn't give any timetable for the introduction of Wi-Fi on flights, but she indicated that demand by the public coupled with improvements in wireless technology will likely spur the development of in-flight Wi-Fi technology. She expects a combination of satellite and terrestrial tower-based cell phone technology will deliver the wireless technology to aircraft.

She noted that voice communications among passengers is a "social" issue that still must be resolved. Several different solutions for the use of voice communications have been proposed, including the use by passengers of noise-reducing headsets.