Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed allowing in-flight connectivity which will give flyers access to voice, video and data services on-board.
Those who cannot resist the urge to use mobile data services on their phones, iPads or laptops in flights are in for some good news. According to The Indian Express, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed allowing in-flight connectivity which will give flyers access to voice, video and data services on-board when the aircraft is flying over the Indian airspace.
DoT is currently working on the proposal and a final policy on the issue is expected shortly. The department had sent a draft plan to ammend the Indian Telegraph Rules and the Indian Telegraph Act last month but was returned with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Space seeking clarifications.
A revised proposal will be made by the panel by the end of this month. “When it went to the committee, it got support from a number of departments, including civil aviation, DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion). Home and space departments raised some issues which will be addressed in the final policy,” the official was reported saying.
How this will work:
The DoT proposal is specifically focused on providing connectivity on-board through satellites although in-flight connectivity can be accessed through ground-to-air communication and satellite communication.
Wireless internet on a flight is dispensed through an on-board router connected to the flight's antenna. The antenna's work process of sending and receiving signals will not interfere with the ground-to-air communication channel used by pilots for air traffic conversations.
Almost all smartphones offer the Wi-Fi option, which will be the only requisite to use the flight's internet system even when the flight is on the airplane mode. Although, a number of foreign airlines offer this service, they are not allowed to do so when they enter the Indian airspace.
The existing Indian Telegraph Act permits the Centre to grant license if it thinks it fit to allow establishment of “wireless telegraphs on ships within Indian territorial waters (and on aircraft within or above [India] or Indian territorial waters)…” provided that the government prepares rules under the Act.
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