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@pricew: Actually, you don't have to shield planes from all devices or even test each plane with every device. What you need is to establish a set of standards about the electromagnetic radiation permissible from electronic devices. In the US, the FCC already does this. The problem is that the FCC standards are incompatible with similar (though more rigorous) standards setup by the FAA.
Basically, what's really needed is for the FCC and FAA to co-operate.
And you really don't need to worry about random circuit boards becoming antennae. It's very simple to shield circuitry from EM radiation. Just put it behind metal. The problem is antennae, which cannot be put behind metal for the obvious reason that they need to receive EM radiation to work.
And if I understand the problem, as described in the reports with the GPS systems correctly, the problem isn't that a cell phone signal can cause a momentary loss in GPS tracking. This would be harmless, since software can easily compensate for it. The problem is that the cell phone signals have been shown to actually cause the GPS system to lose satellite lock, which then takes a significant amount of time to re-establish. I've never seen that happen with car/hand held GPS systems.
And finally, you don't need to upgrade the whole fleet all at once. You need to upgrade it a few planes at a time and remove the restrictions only on the upgraded planes.
@HarryT: Actually if you read the reports TimS linked to, even a single cell phone can cause problems. Undoubtedly more phones will make it more likely that a problem occurs.
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