In-flight network in a year: Sinha

In-flight connectivity is expected to be available within a year, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday even as a joint meeting of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and civil aviation officials to discuss “operational details” is to be held in about 10 days.

Telecom firms, airlines, and in-flight connectivity providers are expected to attend the meeting, the date for which is yet to be finalised.

In-flight connectivity aims to enable calls and internet services during flights in the Indian airspace. “There will a meeting with the secretary civil aviation ministry, me, and the operators. We are fixing the date... maybe in another 10 days or so, we will

meet,” Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here. Earlier, while speaking at the conference on four years of the government, Sinha said that ‘in-flight services’

could become operational in one year.

“The Telecom Commission has already decided on in-flight connectivity, and in the next one year, we may be in a position to provide in-flight connectivity,” he said.

The Telecom Commission - the highest policy-making body of the DoT - had on May 1 cleared a proposal for allowing in-flight connectivity, already available in most of the developed markets. While giving its nod, the Telecom Commission had agreed with most of the recommendations of the sector regulator on ‘in-flight services’ except one pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.

While telecom regulator Trai had recommended permitting the use of foreign satellites and foreign gateways for mobile communication on aircraft too, the Telecom Commission went by the view of Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that only Indian satellites and Indian gateways be allowed.