NEW DELHI: In just a few months, you can browse the internet — or make calls — while flying in Indian skies. On Tuesday, the government gave a go-ahead to the much-awaited proposal that will allow in-flight connectivity and enable fliers to use their mobile phones while in the air.
Trai, the
telecom regulator, had given its approval to the proposal in mid-January.
Connectivity, however, will not come in soon, but over the next few months as airlines, telecom operators and other intermediaries now have to come together to work out solutions and customer packages. Telecom secretary
Aruna Sundararajan said the matter has been cleared by the inter-ministerial telecom commission. In-flight connectivity will be allowed only after the aircraft soars above 3,000 metres.
Industry officials, however, said the tariffs may not be as cheap as they are on the ground. “A lot of connectivity will be provided through satellite links, and even airline companies need to make changes to their aircraft. These investments will mean tariffs will be high when you compare to the dirt-cheap plans customers are used to,” an official with one of the country’s leading telecom companies said, though requesting anonymity. Currently, a number of international carriers offer in-flight connectivity, but only after they move out of the Indian skies.
These include airlines such as Etihad, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. “With the government now opening the Indian skies to connectivity, these airlines may soon start offering them on our skies as well,” an industry official said.
Aviation secretary R N Choubey welcomed the move.
“A new category of inflight connectivity service provider has been created. The norms for that will be set by the telecom and aviation ministries very soon. By the end of May, applications will be invited by telecom authorities for this category.”
Representative image