Airplanes are the next frontier for the wireless industry, and a new technical report could make it more likely that the U.S. government will rescind the cell phone ban on commercial flights.

This month, Dubai-based airline Emirates announced plans to become the world's first air carrier to allow passengers to make in-flight cell phone calls. The airline, which obtained approval from air safety and telecommunications regulators in 25 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, expects to allow usage on one of its Boeing 777s on a route early next month.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission ban in-flight cell phone calls on U.S.-registered aircraft or in U.S. airspace.

The FAA is worried that stray signals from the phones and other electronic devices could interfere with a plane's navigation and communications, while the FCC is concerned that midair cellular calls could wreak havoc with cell phone calls on the ground.

The Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, a private organization that the FAA relies on for technical information, has finished a nearly four-year study of potential interference from in-air use of cell phones, Wi-Fi transmitters in laptops and other electronic devices.

The 400-page report, completed in December by a committee that includes a member from San Diego-based Qualcomm, tells airlines how to test for such interference, bringing the wireless industry closer to ensuring that cell phones are safe to use on planes.