Telecom Commission approves proposal allowing passengers to use their mobiles, internet on flights
Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said the facility will be made available within three months.
The Telecom Commission has approved a proposal allowing mobile phone calls and internet services to passengers on domestic and international flights, telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said, according to IANS.
“Almost all recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on this have been accepted,” Sundararajan told reporters in New Delhi. “We are expediting the process and within three months it should be ready.”
Domestic and foreign airlines will be allowed to offer in-flight connectivity services to passengers, but only over the Indian airspace, Mint reported. The charges to use in-flight connectivity will be left to the airlines and the provider, the report added.
In-flight connectivity will be available once the aircraft has achieved an altitude of 3,000 metres “for compatibility with terrestrial mobile networks”, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had recommended. The regulator said airlines should provide internet services through on board Wi-Fi facilities – commonplace in international flights – and allow its use only when electronic devices are on flight or airplane mode.