Budget airline Ryanair said on Wednesday it had agreed a deal with communications joint venture OnAir to fit its aircraft with technology to allow passengers to use their mobile phones on planes.

Ryanair said in a statement it would install the system on its entire fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft beginning mid-2007.

"Ryanair's passengers will be able to call, text and email using their mobile phones, BlackBerrys and Treos at rates which will mirror international roaming charges," the airline said.

Users will be charged by their mobile service providers on their monthly bills and Ryanair will receive a commission from OnAir, it said.

The airline reported a rise in quarterly profit and revenues this month, helped by higher ancillary revenues from items such as car hire and travel insurance.

It operates 371 routes serving 23 countries.

OnAir is a joint venture between planemaker Airbus and information technology systems provider SITA.

Its ground network will be provided by Monaco Telecom.