Flyers will soon be able to avail data and voice services during flights with the Telecom Commission, the highest decision-making body at the department of telecommunications (DoT), approving the much-awaited proposal at its meeting on Tuesday, telecom secretary Aruna Sundarajan said in New Delhi.
MSN reported that the government will now work towards creating the licence framework for a special category of service providers called ‘In-flight connectivity provider’.
Indian and foreign airlines would be free to offer services to passengers but only over Indian airspace. Moreover, the pricing would be left to airlines and the provider.
Among other important decisions, the panel also approved the decision on internet telephony. “It will be operationalising it immediately. We expect that this will give a fillip to voice telephony through the data networks,” the telecom secretary said.
It also approved 12 major recommendations of TRAI on ease of doing business. She said proliferation of broadband through public Wi-Fi network, has also been accepted. The panel also approved two items related to Universal Service Obligation Fund and eight state detailed project reports on BharatNet project were approved.
