TRAI gives green signal, soon flyers to access mobile and internet services on-board aircraft

Flyers in India would soon be able to access mobile and internet services on board aircraft as telecom regulator on Friday recommended allowing these services as part of in-flight connectivity in the Indian airspace.

However, the operation of mobile communication on aircraft (MCA) services should be permitted with minimum height restriction of 3,000 metres in Indian airspace, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in its recommendations on ‘In-Flight Connectivity’. The height restriction is placed to avoid accessing the terrestrial mobile networks.

Trai said 83% of the passengers would prefer airlines that provided internet connections. Air passengers expect the same kind of connectivity on board as they do at home or office. Also, there was an increasing interest in use of mobile phones on aircraft, Trai said, adding that already over 30 airlines, and 40 jurisdictions, allow such usage on board.

The Department of Telecommunications had sought views of Trai in August last year on this matter. For mobile services, there should be flexibility to IFC service providers in terms of use of technology and frequencies inside the aircraft cabin that should be consistent with international standards, provided no harmful interference is caused. 

Internet services through Wi-Fi onboard should be made available when electronic devices are permitted to be used only in-flight or airplane mode and announcement regarding this should be made after boarding is completed and the plane is about to take off.  "It would ensure that there is no encroachment on the scope of terrestrial Internet service provided by telecom service providers as well as practically there won't be any appreciable discontinuity in the provisioning of Internet services to the fliers," Trai said. 

The regulator recommended creation of an IFC Service Provider for IFC services at annual licence fee of Re 1 only initially, after entering into an arrangement with telecom licence holder having appropriate authorisation. IFC service provider should be permitted to use either INSAT systems (Indian Satellite System or foreign satellite capacity leased through Department of Space) or foreign satellites outside INSAT systems in the Indian airspace.  IFC service providers should be required to get itself registered with DoT (Department of Telecommunications) and it need not necessarily be an Indian entity.

"The deployment of a gateway in India provides an effective mechanism to lawfully intercept and monitor the in- cabin Internet traffic while the aircraft is in Indian airspace. Therefore,the onboard Internet traffic must be routed to a Satellite Gateway on Indian soil," Trai said. The routing of traffic through satellite gateway in India should be imposed regardless of whether the satellite in question is an Indian satellite system or not.