There is a pretty good chance U.S. Airlines may start offering cellphone service on their flights in the not-so-far future. Although the Federal Communications Commission recently voted to sustain a ban on airline cellphone use, industry experts say it is only a matter of time before passengers will be able to gab in the air.

Several Airlines in Europe and the Middle East are currently working on outfitting their airlines with cellphone capabilities and will launch their services later this year. If they succeed at making this a profitable business model, then U.S. Airlines may pressure the FCC to drop its ban so they can remain competitive in the International markets.

In the meantime, U.S. Airlines will incorporate WIFI hotspots into their cabins by early next year. AirCell, a privately held firm out of Colorado, paid $31.3 billion to take over the radio frequencies previously used for air-phone services and repurpose them for the Internet and cellphone usage. They estimate that it will cost about $100,000 to outfit a single carrier, and only take about a day to do so. Aircell will charge no more than $10 per day for passengers to access the network and the airlines will benefit from a rev share.

The current technology does have some limitations. Only 14 calls can be made per flight, and after that point, a user will get a "No Service" indication. Airline crews will also be able to turn off the system durking takeoff and landing, which could interrupt conversations.

All the same, I think it's a pretty cool advancement for airlines. Now they need to figure out how to salvage the peace of mind for all the passengers on the flight who aren't on their phones. Earphones, anybody?