Telecom Commission approves proposal for in-flight mobile services

Soon, you will be able to make phone calls and use internet services in domestic and international flights.

 Telecom Commission on Tuesday approved a proposal for allowing people to make phone calls and use internet services in domestic and international flights in India, with certain riders, an official said.

Telecom Commission - the highest decision making body of telecom department - also approved regulator TRAI’s recommendations on internet telephony in its meeting in New Delhi today. Another proposal that received approval entails creation of an ombudsman to deal with telecom grievances, telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters.

The ombudsman will be set up under TRAI and will require amendment to the TRAI Act. Nearly 10 million grievances are received per quarter in telecom sector, she said adding the new mechanism of ombudsman will lead to a better and satisfactory consumer grievance redressal system.

Telecom Commission’s approval comes months after the telecom regulator TRAI recommended allowing in-flight mobile telephony and internet services.

“The authority recommends that both, Internet and Mobile Communication on Aircraft (MCA) service should be permitted as In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in the Indian airspace,” the regulator had said in its recommendations on ‘In-Flight Connectivity’ (IFC).

“The operation of MCA services should be permitted with minimum height restriction of 3000 meters in Indian airspace for its compatibility with terrestrial mobile networks,” TRAI added.