By Elton Gomes
Travellers might soon be able to enjoy Wi-Fi connectivity while flying in airplanes in India. The highest decision-making body at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)the Telecom Commissionis set to approve the proposal at an upcoming meeting scheduled on May 1.
According to a report by Live Mint, once the DoT approves the plan, airlines will be free to offer Wi-Fi services to their passengers. A person privy to the matter reportedly said that the pricing of in-flight Wi-Fi services would be decided by airlines themselves.
In addition, the DoT will sign “a licence contract with the particular provider, similar to what it has with telecom and internet service providers,” as reported by Live Mint.
Here’s what happened
In January 2018, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) gave its consent for in-flight Wi-Fi services, declaring that there should be no “regulatory barrier” while providing these services.
TRAI left it up to the airlines to decide whether they wished to provide Internet and mobile communication services to passengers. But, it also added: “As long as the 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, according to the Financial Times.
TRAI made the statement after engaging in multiple discussions and consultations with concerned stakeholderswhich started in September 2017. The regulator also permitted Wi-Fi services within flights, once an airplane reaches an altitude of 3,000 metres.
“We have allowed both mobile communication on aircraft (MCA) and onboard internet as IFC (in-flight connectivity) in Indian airspace. Now it is up to airlines which one of these to offer,” a TRAI official told the Times of India.
A report in the News Minute mentioned that “flyers are not allowed to use mobile phones or the internet within Indian airspace due to security concerns.” However, that might soon change as passengers may now be able to use Wi-Fi inside a plane. Questions have been raised about the potential cost of the service. However, since the government bodies have left the pricing up to the airlines, nothing is known for certain as of now.
A report in the Times of India stated that in-flight data connectivity could cost passengers at least 20% to 30% of their ticket price. Considering international standards and charges levied by service providers, internet connectivity inside a plane could range from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 for thirty minutes to an hour.
In 2017, Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey said that besides North Korea, India was the only country to not offer in-flight Wi-Fi service, the Hindu reported.
So why does the Indian government refrain from offering Wi-Fi services to airline passengers? Security seems to be on the top of the list reasons. According to India Today, “The major hindrance that lies in the way of introducing the service is thus the fear of cyber attacks on planes.”
Why you should care
Airlines should consider the fact that providing data connectivity services in a flight will be a substantially valuable service. In a digital era, staying connected is sacrosanct to today’s generation. Moreover, Wi-Fi services in Indian flights could offer foreign travellers an added perk. What seems to be the need of the hour is effective regulation over the pricing of in-flight data services.
By providing Wi-Fi services on airplanes, Indian airlines have a chance to be counted among the ranks of premiere international airlines such as Lufthansa, Emirates, British Airways and Delta, who already offer data connectivity on international routes.