Air France today announced the start of a six-month trial of in-flight mobile phone services on international flights. The tests on Airbus A318 aircraft will use the Mobile OnAir system to support sms, mms and e-mail.

Later tests will support phone calls - but, as the company puts it, the service will be "regulated to maintain passengers' comfort and well-being"... with no clarification on precisely what that might mean...

More here from the AP ... more here from MacNN ... more here from the::unwired ... more here from TravelWeekly ... more here from Forbes ... more here from InfoWorld ... more here from the FT ... and the press release is here.