A very few airline operators right now offer WiFi services to their passengers and most of the domestic airlines are budget airlines that do not provide such services. Outside India and in the developed nations, it is a necessity airlines have to adhere to in order to keep their market shares.
This situation is about to change now, as the Government of India is in talks with Department of Telecommunications to offer in-flight services like WiFi and the ability to make phone calls as well. The decision is expected to be taken in the next 10 days, and Aviation Secretary R N Choubey has given us some hope that the news will be good.
The cost and provisions of offering WiFi on airplanes are quite extensive, which is why most airlines do not offer them in India. However, this is about to change as the Indian Government will provide some waivers to flight operators.
Speaking about the initiative, R N Choubey said, “I must compliment the present DoT Secretary… I have been chasing it for quite some time. I am obviously saying so on the basis of what Deepak (DoT Secretary) has told me. It (Wi-Fi facility) will be available to both Indian carriers and foreign carriers, which may be only overflying the Indian airspace.”
This will also be the first time we will be allowed to make phone calls from flight, if the plan gets approved. Until now only WiFi was allowed on international flights, making calls will be quite a feat by the airline operators.
How will the Government ensure safety?
If the Government allows WiFi and cellular calls on the flights, there is a chance this facility will be used for illegal actions. However, the Government will be strict in this sense and will record and keep track of voice data. This will allow it to monitor any suspicious activities.
Cellular networks and WiFi signals also have the ability to interfere with aircraft operations but the Aviation Ministry has designed plans to take care of that. Unfortunately there won’t be any caps on the data charges and call charges, so the airline operators can take full advantage of this.
In another 10 days we will know what the Government has decided and soon you will be able to make calls and use the internet service while up 30,000 feet in the sky.
