What do cell phones/cell network devices potentially interfere with on airplanes? [closed]

Basically cell phones generate a lot of electromagnetic noise. When a conductor is in a changing magnetic (or electormagnetic) field a current will be induced. That's the basic reason why cell phones can interfere with instruments, basically with everything that involves signals passed over wires.

Nowadays most wires and instruments are properly shielded (as cell phones are not the only source of electromagnetic stuff and it's better to take precautions before anything goes wrong.

That's probably also why the ban is still in place, as it is better to be safe than sorry. The Mythbusters once ran a few tests and concluded that cell phones can and will interfere with certain instruments in an airplane, though they couldn't reproduce it with a recently-built aircraft. But risking one case where instruments are not properly shielded and an aircraft goes down is probably worse than simply banning all cell phones.

Similar reasons go for medical equipment in hospitals.

99% of cell phones (and all electronic devices) will cause absolutely zero ill effects on an airplane.

They ask you to keep your phone and other radio equipment off to make sure that the other 1% does not interfere with any of the airliner's communication equipment. It's to make absolutely sure that the plane can operate safely with no outside interference they have to deal with.

I'd say cell phones cause almost no interference. After all, do you think everyone remembers to turn off their phones before take off? It's not like the airlines have a way to check.

The fact that most passengers can't be bothered to put their seats upright tells me that there are plenty who don't turn off their phone as well. And since airplanes haven't been falling from the sky, I'd say interference is nil.

The real reason is because it would be too disruptive for other passengers to have all kinds of people yakking in their phones.