Wishesh magazine february 2018 Wishesh magazine february 2018 | Page 13

TRAI recommends allowing mobile services
during air travel:
Air passengers will soon be able to make calls and browse the internet while flying in Indian
airspace, with the telecom regulator recommending that domestic and international airlines be
permitted to offer both services.
Internet access through Wi-Fi will be allowed within the aircraft, the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India said Friday, adding that making calls will be allowed once an aircraft reaches an altitude
of 3,000 meters, it said. For making calls, the airplane mode in the phone will have to be kept off,
although usually it is kept on during the duration of the flight.
“As long as provision of the service is technically feasible and security concerns can be
addressed, there should be no regulatory barrier in the provisioning of any of these services,”
TRAI said in its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications.
“Internet and Mobile Communication on Aircraft (MCA) service should be permitted as In-Flight
Connectivity (IFC) services in the Indian airspace.” The regulator said there is strong demand for
mobile and data connectivity on flights.
“These expectations are pushing up the demand for fast, seamless aircraft connectivity.The
evolution of passenger attitude towards on-board WiFi means that where it was once seen as
a novelty or luxury, it is now considered a necessity,” TRAI said. Indian airlines said the facility
would help them to compete with foreign carriers