Air travellers in India will soon get in-flight internet access, with
the Telecom Commission, the highest decision-making body at the telecom
department, approving the proposal on Tuesday May 01,2018
“We will now have to create a separate category of licencees called in-flight connectivity provider. These will provide internet as well as voice services within Indian territorial airspace... in both domestic and international flights,” telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told
The telecom department will now start the process of framing licence terms for in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers and then invite applications, she said, adding that this process could take three months. IFC providers will be required to pay an annual licence fee of Re1 initially.
“It is a fabulous decision. Given the nature of my job, I’m constantly travelling and it is my downtime when I take flights, which now I can use more productively. With data availability, I can catch up on work, read online and stay connected,” said Abhishek Ganguly, managing director of Puma India.
Mobile calling service would be permitted above 3,000m in Indian airspace and the service should be through an Indian satellite and or a Department of Space-approved satellite, and the gateway should also be in India. The telecom regulator had recommended in January that the government allow foreign satellites and gateways.
The telecom department will leave the pricing of these services to the market.
“The pricing would depend on the airline, sometimes it is a part of the ticket and sometimes you are charged (rates)... that could start from $5-10. Indian airlines will have to see what passengers will be willing to shell out,” said Neelu Khatri, president of aerospace at Honeywell India. The company offers high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi to airlines globally.
“We will now have to create a separate category of licencees called in-flight connectivity provider. These will provide internet as well as voice services within Indian territorial airspace... in both domestic and international flights,” telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told
The telecom department will now start the process of framing licence terms for in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers and then invite applications, she said, adding that this process could take three months. IFC providers will be required to pay an annual licence fee of Re1 initially.
“It is a fabulous decision. Given the nature of my job, I’m constantly travelling and it is my downtime when I take flights, which now I can use more productively. With data availability, I can catch up on work, read online and stay connected,” said Abhishek Ganguly, managing director of Puma India.
Mobile calling service would be permitted above 3,000m in Indian airspace and the service should be through an Indian satellite and or a Department of Space-approved satellite, and the gateway should also be in India. The telecom regulator had recommended in January that the government allow foreign satellites and gateways.
The telecom department will leave the pricing of these services to the market.
“The pricing would depend on the airline, sometimes it is a part of the ticket and sometimes you are charged (rates)... that could start from $5-10. Indian airlines will have to see what passengers will be willing to shell out,” said Neelu Khatri, president of aerospace at Honeywell India. The company offers high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi to airlines globally.
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