Ever fancied using Mobile Phones and the Internet while you are 30000 feet? If reports are to be believed, the telecom department will finally allow users to use the internet and make phone calls on their flights. An official at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said, “We are in the final stages of in-flight connectivity license norms and the service option will be given to carriers and telecom companies within two months,”.
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India is one of the few countries in the world to restrict in-flight connectivity, until now. Earlier this year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had approved the use of internet once the aircraft is above an altitude of 3,000 meters. One can only imagine what this system is going to do to the price of flight tickets as this service doesn’t come cheap- for the airline or for the fliers. Currently, a three minuteWhatsAppp call cost somewhere between Rs 14 to RS 130. The amount will depend on which International airline you are on.
This is because the cost of kitting an aircraft with in-flight Wi-Fi is anything from $400,000-$600,000.Also, the plane is grounded for around 10 days, which means that airlines may not be offering these features soon. Indian carriers are in favour of providing internet services as it would result in add-on revenues and bring them at par with international flights.
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