Passengers in Indian airspace will finally be allowed to access in-flight connectivity following approval from the country’s Telecom Commission of recommendations proposed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI).
The agreement will allow airlines and the telecom service providers (TSPs) to offer voice and data services in India Airspace once an aircraft reaches an altitude of 3,000 metres, and is expected to be commercially available within four months.
A stipulation of the decision is that all in-flight voice and data services are to be provided through Indian satellites or through satellites approved by Department of Space for communication purposes, with gateways in India.
A separate category of licensee called in-flight connectivity provider is to be created with a token license fee of Re. 1.
CAPA India welcome the news, cautioning that airlines will be permitted to offer both data and voice services, although most carriers are unlikely to allow voice calls due to concerns that fellow passengers will be disturbed.
In a statement they added, “As the Indian fleet is not yet equipped for Wi-Fi, foreign carriers will be the first to offer in-flight connectivity in Indian airspace. However, Indian carriers are expected to implement Wi-Fi on international services in due course, particularly long haul.”
