You could soon be online while flying, but at a cost
Connectivity Will Be Allowed After Plane Is Above 3,000 Metres
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: 02.05.2018
In just a few months, you can browse the internet – or make calls – while flying in Indian skies. The government on Tuesday gave a goahead to the much-awaited proposal that will allow inflight connectivity and enable fliers to use their mobile phones while in the air.
Connectivity, however, will not come in soon, but over the next few months as airline companies, telecom operators and other intermediaries now have to come together to work out solutions and customer package.
Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said that the matter has been cleared by the inter-ministerial telecom commission. Earlier, regulator Trai had also given a go-ahead to the proposal.
In-flight connectivity will be allowed only after the aircraft soars above 3,000 metres. Industry officials, however, said that 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 that tariffs will be high when you compare to the dirt-cheap plans that 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 inflight 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.”
The matter of connectivity in the air, however, is surely a lucrative affair not only for the airlines but also for telecom companies. Indians are one of the biggest consumer of data globally and are also very strong in terms of voice calling.
Top mobile company Bharti Airtel has already been preparing for this move, and has signed up pacts to work out solutions for airline companies. In February this year, the company joined the ‘Seamless Alliance’ — which enables mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins through satellite technology. Other members of this alliance include OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint.
Sundararajan said that the Telecom Commission has largely agreed to Trai’s recommendations on in-flight connectivity, with an exception to an aspect pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.
“Trai had said that foreign satellites and foreign gateways should also be permitted... but there had been an earlier Committee of Secretaries meeting which decided that it should be an Indian satellite or Department of Space approved satellite and the gateway should be in India. So, the proposal is cleared subject to this... all the other recommendations of Trai have been accepted,” Sundararajan, who also chairs the Telecom Commission, said.
Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu welcomed the Telecom Commission’s decision. “Exciting times ahead in Indian skies as Telecom Commission approved data and voice services in flights over Indian airspace.”
Connectivity Will Be Allowed After Plane Is Above 3,000 Metres
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: 02.05.2018
In just a few months, you can browse the internet – or make calls – while flying in Indian skies. The government on Tuesday gave a goahead to the much-awaited proposal that will allow inflight connectivity and enable fliers to use their mobile phones while in the air.
Connectivity, however, will not come in soon, but over the next few months as airline companies, telecom operators and other intermediaries now have to come together to work out solutions and customer package.
Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said that the matter has been cleared by the inter-ministerial telecom commission. Earlier, regulator Trai had also given a go-ahead to the proposal.
In-flight connectivity will be allowed only after the aircraft soars above 3,000 metres. Industry officials, however, said that 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 that tariffs will be high when you compare to the dirt-cheap plans that 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 inflight 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.”
The matter of connectivity in the air, however, is surely a lucrative affair not only for the airlines but also for telecom companies. Indians are one of the biggest consumer of data globally and are also very strong in terms of voice calling.
Top mobile company Bharti Airtel has already been preparing for this move, and has signed up pacts to work out solutions for airline companies. In February this year, the company joined the ‘Seamless Alliance’ — which enables mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins through satellite technology. Other members of this alliance include OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint.
Sundararajan said that the Telecom Commission has largely agreed to Trai’s recommendations on in-flight connectivity, with an exception to an aspect pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.
“Trai had said that foreign satellites and foreign gateways should also be permitted... but there had been an earlier Committee of Secretaries meeting which decided that it should be an Indian satellite or Department of Space approved satellite and the gateway should be in India. So, the proposal is cleared subject to this... all the other recommendations of Trai have been accepted,” Sundararajan, who also chairs the Telecom Commission, said.
Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu welcomed the Telecom Commission’s decision. “Exciting times ahead in Indian skies as Telecom Commission approved data and voice services in flights over Indian airspace.”
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